Last Time Out: SU went 2-1 on the week, putting together back-to-back victories at home and falling on the road. They opened the week with a 68-63 win over UW-Milwaukee to close out the SeattleU Thanksgiving Tournament. It was SeattleU's first win of the season and under first season head coach Joan Bonvicini. Capping off the thrilling victory, senior Ashley Brown was named tournament MVP. On Dec. 1, the Redhawks blazed by Pacific Lutheran for a 75-37 win to make it two straight at home.
Four days later, SU dropped a last second 60-59 contest at UC Irvine. The Anteaters Keyonna Johnson scored with one second left to prevent the Redhawks from earning their third consecutive win and first road victory.
On Deck: SeattleU will remain at home for their next two games. On Monday, Dec. 14, they will host Saint Mary's (Calif.) in a 7 p.m. contest. The following day, SU will return to the Connolly Center for a 4:30 p.m. game versus Evergreen State.
Follow the Game: Fans be sure to log onto www.GoSeattleU.com to follow all your Redhawk women's basketball action. Brian Abker will be doing live radio play-by-play from courtside and live stats will be available for Wednesday's game versus Washington.
Heck Leads Offense at UC Irvine: Junior center Tatiana Heck led the Redhawks at UC Irvine on Dec. 5, with a season-high 16 points. In 24 minutes on the floor, she was 4-for-8 from the field and 8-for-10 from the charity stripe. She added four rebounds, an assist and a block.
Looking For Third Straight at Home: The Redhawks will vie for their third straight home victory this Wednesday, Dec. 9, versus the University of Washington. SeattleU earned their first home victory on Nov. 29, versus UW-Milwaukee. The 68-63 win concluded the SeattleU Thanksgiving Tournament, where senior Ashley Brown was named tournament MVP. SU followed on Dec. 1, with a sound 75-37 defeat over Pacific Lutheran.
Butcher Scores in Double Digits For Career-High: Redshirt Freshman Carley Butcher scored a career-high 15 points at UC Irvine on Dec. 5. She was the team's second-leading scorer in the game, as she played 15 minutes against the Anteaters. She was 6-for-8 from the field and 3-for-4 from the free throw line. She had two offensive rebounds, as well.
The SeattleU-Washington Connection: In addition to being the only two Division I institutions in the city of Seattle, the connection between the two campuses runs deeper. It will be first time that first season assistant coach Kristen O'Neill will face her alma mater as a collegiate coach. O'Neill was a four-year starter for the Huskies, who also spent time in the professional European ranks and with the Seattle Storm.
Former Husky Michelle Augustavo, who played from 2007-09 at Washington, is currently the SeattleU women's basketball intern.
Can I Assist You?: Senior Cassidy Murillo made four assists at UC Irvine to bring her season total to a team-leading 47. In 10 straight starts, the Yakima, Wash. native is averaging 4.7 assists in 32.3 minutes of action. Additionally, she is averaging 6.5 points and 3.8 rebounds per game.
Scouting University of Washington: The Huskies of the University of Washington travel to SeattleU riding a 3-4 overall record. UW, who is 1-3 on the road this season, is coming off a 62-59 win at the University of Central Florida. Senior Sami Whitcomb led the Huskies with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Two days prior, Washington fell to the University of South Florida 61-50. Sophomore Regina Rogers led the team with 11 points in 20 minutes of play, including going 5-for-9 from the field.
This season, Whitcomb is leading the Husky women's hoops team. The guard is averaging 14.1 points and 6.0 rebounds in 31.7 minutes of action. Junior guard Sarah Morton is the team's top assister with 4.1 dishes in 27.1 minutes of play.
In seven games, the Huskies have been outscored 454-432, and saw their three season wins on Nov. 18, over BYU, 67-66, versus Eastern Washington on Nov. 27, 64-46, and most recently over UCF.
In their last meeting on Nov. 28, 2008, Washington handed the Redhawks their first loss of the season. Breanna Salley led both squads with 23 points, eight rebounds, two blocks and two steals in 28 minutes. For UW, Michelle Augustavo led the Husky offense with 15 points in 16 minutes on the floor to send Washington onto an 82-56 victory.
Game 10 Recap - UC Irvine
Dec. 5, 2009 - L 59-60
The Redhawks (2-8) suffered a heartbreaking 60-59 loss to UC Irvine in Irvine, Calif. on Dec. 5. Junior Tatiana Heck led the SU offense with a season-high 16 points and sophomore Carley Butcher followed with a career-high 15 points, including going 6-for-8 from the field. Despite being down by three going into halftime, the Redhawks were shooting just above 30 percent, while the Anteaters were shooting 29.0 percent going into the half.
In the second half, the Rehawks came back from a 13 point deficit to take 59-58 lead with nine seconds remaining in the game off an Ashley Brown jumper. With the final possession of the game, Irvine's Keyonna Johnson converted her layup with one second left in regulation to end SU's two-game winning streak.