Last Time Out: The Redhawks rebounded from a close loss on Monday, Dec. 14, to Saint Mary's, 63-56, to decisively defeat Evergreen State 82-51 the following evening. Versus the Geoducks, junior Tatiana Heck scored a career-high 21 points to guide SU to their third win of the year. SeattleU shot 50.0 percent on the night, while holding Evergreen State to 29.3 percent. Three players shot in double digits, while ESC's top scorer LeAsia Jones was held to only eight points.
The night prior, SU kept pace with SMC, but were unable to ever gain the necessary point cushion to earn their first win over a WCC opponent this year. Both Ashley Brown and Heck scored 15 points, and sophomore Elle Kerfoot made her return to the lineup after missing the entire fall.
On Deck: The second game of the Redhawks four-game holiday road swing will take SeattleU to Boise, Idaho. SU will square off with the Boise State Broncos on Monday, Dec. 21. Game time is set for 5 p.m. PT.
Following a short hiatus for Christmas, the Redhawks will reunite for a pair of games in California to close out 2009. They will take on Cal Poly, on Tuesday, Dec. 29, and Loyola Marymount, on Wednesday, Dec. 30, before returning to the Emerald City.
Follow the Game: Fans be sure to log onto www.GoSeattleU.com to follow all your Redhawk women's basketball action. Live stats from Oregon State will be available for free. Live audio and video streaming will also be available, for a charge of $9.95.
Heck Posts Strong Back-to-Back Performances: Junior Tatiana Heck scored a career-high 21 points versus Evergreen State on Dec. 15. She tallied six boards, two assists, a block and a steal in a team-leading 32 minutes of action. She has been progressing all season and is second on the team in points scored, averaging 9.5 baskets per game.
She showed her season-long improvement the night before versus Saint Mary's while posting up against reigning WCC Player of the Month Louella Tomlinson. The Mountlake Terrace, Wash. native held the SMC 6-4 forward to only seven points in the first half and disrupted the Gaels offensive plans to hand the ball off to their leading scorer. Versus Saint Mary's Heck scored 15 points to tie Ashley Brown for the top-scorer for SU on the night.
Finding Their Rhythm: After opening the season sluggish, the Redhawks have improved by leaps and bounds. They have gone 3-3 in their last six games, and all three of their losses have been by seven points or less. After earning back-to-back "W's" on Nov. 29, versus UW-Milwaukee and on Dec. 1, versus Pacific Lutheran, they dropped a heartbreaker at UC Irvine on Dec. 5, 60-59. Following the one point edging, they were unable to rebound back, as they fell 58-53 to the University of Washington on Dec. 9, and 63-56 to Saint Mary's on Dec. 14. They were able to break out of their three-game losing slump with an 82-51 routing of Evergreen State on Dec. 15.
Brown Continues Offensive-Dominant Run: After missing her junior season with an injury, senior Ashley Brown has returned to the floor with a sweet shot and newfound offensive dominance. This year she leads the Redhawks, averaging 15.3 points in 28.8 minutes of action. In 12 contests she has found the bulk of her offensive power from beyond the 3-point line, as she's shooting 356 percent from behind the arc. The Kirkland, Wash. native has been the top-scorer in nine of the 12 games she has played in and tied for top-shooter versus Saint Mary's on Dec. 14, with 15 points.
Four-Game Road Swing: The Redhawks will take to the road for four games to close out the first half to the 2009-10 schedule. They will begin at Oregon State on Dec. 18, followed by a final pre-Christmas trip to Boise State on Dec. 21. To close out 2009, SU will play a pair of games in the Golden State. On Dec. 29, SeattleU will tip off against Cal Poly and close out the road swing with Loyola Marymount on Dec. 30.
Kerfoot's Back: After missing the first leg of the 2009-10 campaign, sophomore Elle Kerfoot made her return to the lineup on Dec. 14, versus Saint Mary's College. The Surrey, B.C. native played 27 off the bench minutes, and posted four points, three steals, a defensive rebound and an assist.
The following evening, the SU guard looked to find her rhythm in 25 minutes of play. She was the third-leading scorer with 15 points, and she dished out an assist and had a defensive rebound.
Murillo Reigns as Assist Leader Heading into 2010: Despite there being four games remaining in the 2009 half of the schedule, senior Cassidy Murillo is averaging 5.1 assists per game. She posted a season-high of nine assists on Nov. 29, versus UW-Milwaukee and has dished out seven assists four-times this season.
Scouting Oregon State: Oregon State hosts SeattleU after putting together back-to-back victories at home. In their last home stand the Beavers went 2-1, with a loss on Dec. 5, to UC Santa Barbara 59-53. Following their six-point defeat, they went on to beat Weber State on Dec. 12, 76-64. They followed that with a 58-42 victory over UC Irvine on Dec. 15. Irvine is the only opponent that both Seattle and Oregon State have in common, as the Redhawks fell to the Anteaters on the road in a heartbreaking 60-59 loss.
In their last game versus UCI, the Oregon-based squad was led by Julie Futch. The guard tallied 15 points, including going 2-for-4 from beyond the arc. She added six rebounds and two assists in a team-leading 33 minutes on the floor. El Sara Greer was the only other Beaver to score in the double-digits with 10 points. The junior college transfer also added eight boards, a block and a steal in 20 starting minutes.
OSU is 3-1 this season at home and are led by Talisa Rhea, who is averaging 13.6 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 30.3 minutes. Kristen Tilleman is the top rebounder with 7.9 boards in 31.3 minutes per game.
The Redhawks are 1-4 all-time versus Oregon State. SU's lone win over the Beavers came in the program's second year of existence. The Redhawks defeated OSU 61-55 in Corvallis on Jan. 27, 1979.
Game 13 Recap - Evergreen State College
Dec. 15, 2009 - W 82-51
Junior Tatiana Heck scored a career-high 21 points to guide the Seattle University women's basketball team to a decisive 82-51 victory over Evergreen State Tuesday evening in the Connolly Center. After a slow start, where the Geoducks went on an immediate 7-0 run, the Redhawks responded immediately and blazed to their third win of the season to improve to 3-10 on the year. ESC falls to 4-9 on the season with the loss.
It was all-Heck all night for the Redhawks. She boxed the Geoduck players out with easy and maneuvered in smoothly to the basket to go 50 percent from the field and 5-for-7 from the charity stripe. She added six boards, two assists, a steal and a block in a team-leading 32 minutes on the floor. The Seattle center was key in bringing down and assisting in SU's offensive second efforts to keep possession.
SeattleU shot 50 percent on the evening from the field and held the Evergreen State to 29.3 percent. Senior Ashley Brown was very consistent from the field, as she scored 19 points. The forward was 5-for-9 from the field and a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line. She was also 3-for-6 from beyond the arc, to bring her season total to a team-leading 42 3-point jumpers.