After a strong and even keeled first half, the Seattle University women's basketball team was unable to hang on to earn their first Pacific-10 victory since reclassifying into Division I status. The Redhawks fell 64-48 to Oregon State University Friday evening in Corvallis, Ore.
"I thought we did a good job in the first half and executed the offense," said head coach Joan Bonvicini. "Going into the second half, it was a four or five point game, but they were beating us on boards. It went from a close game, but they were able to get a few three's and the game just got away from us."
After missing four consecutive field goal attempts to kick off the game, OSU turned around four points in 20 seconds. Despite the early point deficit, SU gained their composure amidst the sea of orange and black. Beginning with a layup from senior Cassidy Murillo (Yakima, Wash.) and four points from Maggie McCarthy (Burlingame, Calif.), SeattleU went on a 12-2 run midway through the first half. The Redhawks allowed Oregon State to keep pace with them and the score close, as the home team outrebounded SU 23-12 in the first half alone. This was attributed to the Beavers' tallying 13 offensive rebounds and scoring eight points off of second chances.
As the clock wound down to halftime, Julee Christianson (Missoula, Mont.) knocked in a 3-pointer with 28 seconds left to head into halftime down by only four. With the lead once again in grasp, SU looked to carry that momentum into the final half of play. In the first half, the Redhawks outshot the Beavers 45.0 percent to 33.3 percent.
In the final 20, SeattleU kept pace with Oregon State, as they slowly chipped away at their lead early. Things began to breakdown for SU in the 13th minute, as the Beavers went on a 17-2 scoring run. Talisa Rhea ignited the Beavers in the second half, as she went on to score a game-leading 20 points in the game.
Oregon State's second half chances and 18 offensive rebounds squandered the Redhawks ability to regain their bearings and establish any rhythm. The Beavers outrebounded SU 38 to 26, but they were able to convert nine points off of turnovers and five off of second chances.
As the lead grew further and further away, the Redhawks began to get flustered and were unable to cut it down significantly. SeattleU did outshoot Oregon State 42.5 percent to 39.0 percent on the evening, but OSU's second chances and strong rebounding efforts were what gave them the advantage and eventually the win.
"We tried a lot of things tonight and we battled. This game is only going to make us tougher and stronger," concluded Bonvicini.
Sophomore Elle Kerfoot (Surrey, B.C.) earned her first start of the season. She was the team's second-leading scorer with 10 points, including going 2-for-3 from behind the arc. The guard played 35 minutes and also added three assists in the game. McCarthy had a team-leading 15 points, going 6-for-10 from the field, while Murillo grabbed a team-leading seven boards.
The Redhawks look to bounce back in their final pre-Christmas contest on Monday, Dec. 21. SeattleU heads to Boise, Idaho to take on the Broncos of Boise State in a 5 p.m. PT game.