Garcia shot 10-of-17 from the field, including a three-pointer, and 9-of-14 from the free throw line to total 30 points, the first time a Seattle University player has reached 30 points in a game since Sam Kirby notched 30 points at Saint Martin's on Feb. 18, 2006. The junior college transfer also pulled down a team-high eight rebounds and dished out three assists.
The two teams basically traded baskets for the first seven minutes of the second half, with back-to-back baskets by Aaron Broussard (Federal Way, Wash.) and Garrett Lever (Phoenix, Ariz.) giving SeattleU a 60-59 lead. Portland struck back with a 17-4 run, highlighted by a three-pointer by Jared Stohl and four points each from Robin Smeulders and Ethan Niedermeyer.
Seattle University used defensive pressure to start an 8-1 run, punctuated by a three-pointer from Chris Gweth (Beaverton, Ore.), to cut the Pilot lead to five at 77-72. The Redhawks had a chance to move closer, but Garcia could not convert on a layup, and Portland took advantage with a three-pointer by Stohl, two free throws by T.J. Campbell, and a basket by Nik Raivio to reestablish a 12-point lead.
For the second straight game, Broussard finished with 12 points, hitting 6-of-12 shots from the field, plus he grabbed four rebounds. Mike Boxley (Mountlake Terrace, Wash.) and Cervante Burrell (Sacramento, Calif.) finished with nine points each, Gweth collected eight points and five assists, Lever contributed seven points and two steals, and Gavin Gilmore (Pasco, Wash.) earned six points and six rebounds, including five offensive boards.
Garcia scored six points in the first 4:16 of the game to help Seattle University jump out to a 13-7 lead. Two baskets by Raivio and a three-pointer from Stohl allowed Portland to start a 12-2 run for a 19-15 advantage. SeattleU answered with a 13-4 run to go back on top, 28-23, before a three-pointer by Niedermeyer stopped the rally.
Portland (2-0) would eventually retake the lead on a Smeulders basket with 3:11 left before halftime. Garcia cut the lead to one with a basket, and then answered a Raivio three-pointer with one of his own to keep the Redhawks within striking distance. Raivio hit another three-pointer to give the Pilots a four-point lead, but Broussard's bucket made it a one-possession game heading into halftime.
Smeulders shot 9-of-12 from the field and 6-of-6 from the free throw line as he led the Pilots with 24 points, while Campbell hit 11-of-14 from the free throw line on his way to a 21-point, 11-assist effort. Raivio also notched a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds, and Stohl hit four three-pointers as he finished with 14 points in the game.
Seattle University shot 50 percent from the field (31-of-62) and 71.4 percent from the free throw line (15-of-21), but hurt itself by committing 22 turnovers during the night. Meanwhile, Portland hit 55.9 percent of its field goal attempts, including 7-of-15 shots from behind the three-point line, and 80.6 percent from the free throw line. The rebounding battle ended in a draw, which each team collecting 30 total rebounds.
Seattle University (0-2) opens the home schedule with the Elgin Baylor Classic this Thursday, Nov. 19, against Fresno State at KeyArena at Seattle Center, with tip-off set for 7:10 p.m. ESPN 710 Seattle and FSN Northwest will broadcast the game live, as Dave Grosby and Gary Hill, Jr. will start the radio broadcast at 6:55 p.m., and Tom Glasgow and Lenny Wilkens will describe the action for the television audience beginning at 7:00 p.m. Tickets for the game are available through all Ticketmaster outlets.