Seattle University was down by five (78-73) with 2:44 remaining in regulation when Garrett Lever (Phoenix, Ariz.) hit his second three-pointer of the season to cut the deficit to two. Following a Charles Garcia (Los Angeles, Calif.) steal, Mike Boxley (Mountlake Terrace, Wash.) converted on a three-point play to give the Redhawks their first lead in 15 minutes, and another three-point play from Lever extended the SeattleU lead to 82-80 with 1:35 left. After exchanging single free throws, Eastern Washington's Mark Dunn hit a jumper to tie the game with 10 seconds remaining, and a Boxley jumper as time expired was no good, forcing overtime.
The two teams exchanged baskets for the first two minutes of overtime before Eastern Washington scored seven unanswered points to go on top, 94-87, with 1:09 left in the extra period. Missed free throws by the Eagles kept SeattleU in the game, and a four-point play by Taylor Olson (Seattle, Wash.) with 14 seconds left brought the Redhawks within one. After Kevin Winford made two free throws, Olson missed a three-point shot as time ran out that would have tied the game.
Six players scored in double figures for Seattle University, led by Chris Gweth (Beaverton, Ore.), who scored a season-high 24 points on 8-of-16 shooting from the field, including four three-pointers. Cervante Burrell (Sacramento, Calif.) finished with 14 points and nine assists, Aaron Broussard (Federal Way, Wash.) picked up a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds along with three steals, and Lever contributed 13 points and six rebounds off the bench.
Coming into the game as the second-leading scorer in the country, Garcia was held to 12 points and eight rebounds, although he did block three shots. Boxley contributed 11 points as SeattleU shot 41.6 percent (32-of-77) from the field, including 7-of-21 from behind the three-point line, and 74.3 percent (26-of-35) from the free throw line.
The Eagles went on a 9-2 run early in the second half to pull ahead, 49-45, taking advantage of missed Redhawk opportunities. Two three-pointers from Gweth pulled SeattleU into a 57-57 tie with 11:48 remaining in the half, but Eastern Washington scored 10 of the next 12 points to open its biggest lead of the game at 67-59.
Eastern Washington (4-5) hit the first basket of the game, but Seattle University scored the next six points on a three-pointer by Boxley and a traditional three-point play from Broussard. The Eagles went on an 11-3 run, with Dunn scoring nine of those points, to take a 19-16 advantage, but a dunk by Garcia started a 17-6 Redhawk run that allowed SeattleU to enjoy the lead for the rest of the first half.
The big men led the way for Eastern Washington, as center Brandon Moore led with 26 points and 11 rebounds along with four assists, while Dunn finished with 21 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, and two blocked shots. Winford came off the bench and posted 20 points, six rebounds, and four assists, and Abebe Demissie added 12 points, eight rebounds, six assists, three blocked shots, and two steals to the winning effort.
Eastern Washington hit 5-of-6 shots from the field in overtime to finish the game shooting 45.7 percent (37-of-81) from the field, including 3-of-13 from behind the three-point line, and 60.5 percent (23-of-38) from the free throw line. The Eagles forced the Redhawks into 24 turnovers and came within one in the rebounding battle, 52-51.
After six straight games away from home, Seattle University (5-5) returns to KeyArena at Seattle Center this week for two games, welcoming UC Irvine Tuesday, Dec. 15, and Oakland University Thursday, Dec. 17. Both games begin at 7:10 p.m. with Dave Grosby and Gary Hill, Jr., broadcasting the action on 710 ESPN Seattle.