Everything was in sync for the Seattle University women's basketball team Tuesday evening in the Connolly Center, as the Redhawks routed Pacific Lutheran 75-37. The decisive win is the second straight for SU at home and with the victory, they improve to 2-7 on the season, while the Lutes fall to 1-3 on the year.
"I think when you win it gives you a lot of confidence," said head coach Joan Bonvicini. The player's feel a lot looser and the game comes more to them, versus forcing it. Pacific Lutheran is a Division III school, but I thought they worked really hard."
SU had their strongest performance on the season, as they shot 48.2 percent from the field, while PLU was held to 23.4 percent. The Redhawks outrebounded the Lutes 44 to 36, with both Carley Butcher and Maggie McCarthy bringing down six boards apiece to lead SeattleU.
The game began a bit sluggish, but the Redhawks were quickly able to find their tempo and controlled the first half. The offense dominated with a 48.3 percent shooting average from the field. They were nearly perfect from the charity stripe, going 6-for-7, and outrebounded the Lutes 23-20. Despite heading into halftime with a comfortable 38-16 lead, headlined by eight points from top-scorer Ashley Brown, the Redhawks committed 11 turnovers.
Nine seconds into the second half the PLU bench called timeout after Brown came out of the gate with a 3-pointer to take SU to an immediate 41-16 lead. The Kirkland, Wash. scored eight points in just under five-and-a-half minutes of play in the second half. She went on to score 16 total points in 21 minutes of action. The forward was 4-for-6 from behind the arc, missing scoring five 3-pointers for the fourth straight game by one 3-point jumper.
By the 16:19 minute mark, the Redhawks added to the sizeable lead and controlled the game rhythm with a 50-21 lead. Bonvicini was able to go deep into her bench and give significant minutes to subs.
Redshirt freshman Monica Nevi made her presence known on the floor as she buried in a 3-pointer with 11:27 left in the game. The behind the arc basket was Nevi's first career points, but she did not stop there, as she knocked in a jumper nearly a minute later.
Fellow redshirt freshman Butcher saw significant minutes on the floor and was able to add size at the post for the Redhawks. In 17 minutes of action, she not only had six boards, but also scored six points. Playing just under 20 minutes were both Julie Christianson and Samantha Messersmith, who combined for nine points, seven rebounds, three steals and a block.
Guard Jamie Johnson scored three points, had three defensive rebounds and two steals in 15 minutes of action, and sophomore Bianca Williams saw time in her second contest of the season.
With a strong support cast, starting guards Cassidy Murillo and Kourtney Parks artfully dribbled the ball down the floor and facilitated strong offensive Redhawk runs. Murillo led with seven points and seven assists in 25 minutes of play. While Parks, who has started in all nine games this season after transferring to SeattleU, had four points, three defensive rebound, two assists and a steal in 24 minutes of work.
Junior Tatiana Heck had an outstanding day down low, as the 6-1 center had 12 points, including going 4-for-5 from the free throw line, and tallied five boards.
Rounding out the Redhawks' stellar evening was McCarthy, who was an all-around asset to the team. She was 5-for-6 from the field and 3-for-4 from the charity stripe, as she scored 13 points on the night. She tied Butcher for top-rebounder with six, and had five steals and a block in 21 minutes of action.
With two consecutive wins under their belt, SU will look to carry that momentum into UC Irvine on Saturday, Dec. 5. SeattleU will square off with the Anteaters of UCI in Irvine, Calif. Tip time is slated for 4 p.m. PT.