Cervante Burrell (Sacramento, Calif.) and Chris Gweth (Beaverton, Ore.) led Seattle University with 14 points each, while Alex Jones (Phoenix, Ariz.) scored 13 points off the bench and Aaron Broussard (Federal Way, Wash.) contributed 10 points. Charles Garcia (Los Angeles, Calif.), the team's leading scorer and rebounder coming into the game, was held to five points and seven rebounds before fouling out with 3:51 remaining in the game.
A three-pointer by Gweth gave SeattleU a 54-52 lead halfway through the second half, and the Redhawks expanded it to five points at 65-60 with 5:15 remaining on a Garcia layup. Oakland scored seven unanswered points, five of them by Larry Wright, to take a 67-65 lead, and after Jones tied the game with 3:09 left on the clock, Keith Benson earned a defensive rebound and a dunk with 1:16 left to give the visitors the lead for good.
On Seattle University's next possession, Jones found Broussard underneath the basket, but Benson picked up his fifth block of the night, and the Golden Grizzlies went 8-for-8 from the free throw line in the final minute to ice the game. Overall, Oakland hit 92.0 percent (23-of-25) of its free throw attempts, overcoming 19 turnovers and a field goal percentage of 38.2 percent (26-of-68), including 2-of-13 from behind the three-point line.
Oakland (6-5) was led by Wright, who scored 21 points. Benson finished the night with 16 points and 16 rebounds, while Drew Maynard came off the bench and also notched a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Johnathon Jones collected 10 points, eight rebounds, three assists, and three steals as the Grizzlies won the rebounding battle, 57-39.
"Oakland is a good team, and they did a good job and were able to slow us down. They got good length in the back line, they have athletic guards in the front line, and that surprised our guys early. We didn't flow ... but that is a credit to them, they did a good job of guarding us," head coach Cameron Dollar said.
SeattleU shot only 33.8 percent from the field (25-of-74), including 3-of-18 from the three-point line, and 75 percent (15-of-20) from the free throw line. The Redhawks committed only 13 turnovers, including just four in the second half, but could not prevent Oakland from breaking their 14-game home winning streak.
Seattle University (6-6) hits the road to finish out the 2009 calendar year, first facing the University of Denver next Tuesday, Dec. 22, starting at 7:30 p.m. local time (6:30 p.m. Seattle time). After a Dec. 30 game at Loyola Marymount, the Redhawks return home and welcome Harvard University to KeyArena Saturday, Jan. 2, starting at 2 p.m.