Down 61-34 midway through the second half, SeattleU started the comeback with a jumper by Aaron Broussard (Federal Way, Wash.) and two made free throws each by Chris Gweth (Beaverton, Ore.) and Gavin Gilmore (Pasco, Wash.). Mike Boxley (Mountlake Terrace, Wash.) hit a three-pointer, and Charles Garcia (Los Angeles, Calif.) scored five points within a minute to cut the Cowboy lead to 13 at 61-48.
While Oklahoma State continued to miss shots, the Redhawks ran a successful play that resulted in a three-pointer from Taylor Olson (Seattle, Wash.). Gilmore answered two Cowboy baskets with a dunk and a layup to keep SeattleU within ten, but Oklahoma State went 11-for-14 from the free throw line over a two-minute span to pull away for the victory.
Garcia led Seattle University with 18 points and nine rebounds, but was constantly double-teamed and held to 5-of-15 shooting from the field, although he did hit 8-of-9 shots from the free throw line. Broussard scored 12 points, Gilmore finished with seven points and seven rebounds, Boxley and Gweth also scored seven points each, and Cervante Burrell (Sacramento, Calif.) collected nine rebounds, five assists, and three steals.
Oklahoma State (1-0) scored the first seven points of the game and broke it open in the first half with a 16-3 run to take a 25-8 lead with 9:42 remaining before halftime. The Cowboys shot 51.6 percent from the field in the first half, but cooled down after halftime, missing all seven three-point attempts in hitting only 39.4 percent of their second-half field goal attempts.
Three players notched double-doubles for Oklahoma State, led by James Anderson with 22 points and 15 rebounds. Marshall Moses earned 17 points and 11 rebounds, and Obi Muonelo finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Coming off the bench, Keiton Page also reached double figures with 11 points, and Roger Franklin overcame a busted tooth to collect nine points and four rebounds.
The start of the game was delayed 94 minutes because the referees, assigned by the coordinators of the HoopTV Las Vegas Invitational, were not aware that the game time was set at 1:30 p.m. This was the first of four games SeattleU will play as part of the Las Vegas Invitational, traveling to play the University of Utah on Nov. 24 before facing Presbyterian (Nov . 27) and Wofford (Nov. 28) at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nev.
Season tickets for Seattle University men's basketball are still on sale by contacting the SeattleU athletic ticket office at (206) 296-2835. Tickets for the home opener on Nov. 19 against Fresno State are available through Ticketmaster both online and at all outlets.
Seattle University (0-1) will next face the University of Portland Tuesday, Nov. 17, beginning at 7 p.m. at the Chiles Center in Portland, Ore. Dave Grosby and Gary Hill, Jr., will bring all the action from courtside on ESPN 710 Seattle beginning with the pregame show at 6:45 p.m.