On a night where contributions were saw up and down the lineup, the Seattle University women’s basketball team defeated Cal State Northridge 69-51 for their first road win of the season. With the victory, SU has put together back-to-back wins and improves to 6-20 on the year. Northridge falls to 3-18 on the season.
The victory was a collective effort as all players active in Wednesday’s contest made contributions in the win. The Redhawks were led by Elle Kerfoot (Surrey, B.C.), who scored a game-leading 24 points, including five three-pointers. She also grabbed down six boards, had three assists and a steal in 36 minutes of action. Kerfoot moved the ball fluidly down the court to consistently maintain possession for SeattleU.
Behind Kerfoot’s hot hand, SU shot 42.1 percent (24-for-57) from the field, holding CSUN to 30 percent (18-for-60) from the field. The Redhawks were able to stymie the Matador offense and forced 17 turnovers, which they converted into 21 points. Maggie McCarthy (Burlingame, Calif.) had four of SU’s 12 steals on the day. She also had six points, six rebounds and three assists in the effort.
The Redhawks controlled the tempo throughout the 40 minute contest, as they established a double-digit lead by the 12th minute and did not look back. By 3:58 in the first half they held a 21 point advantage over Northridge and were able to maintain a double-figure point cushion for the remainder of the game.
Senior Ashley Brown (Kirkland, Wash.) led the SU offense alongside Kerfoot with 14 points, including four three-pointers to bring her to 81 three’s on the year. Junior Tatiana Heck (Mountlake Terrace, Wash.) followed with nine points and a strong game at the post. She had sprained her ankle severely in practice on Monday, but did not show any sight of hesitation or reservation, especially in the second half. After gaining her bearings in the first period, she worked to move the ball from post to the wing and take time off the clock. She had three defensive boards, three assists and a steal in 26 minutes on the floor.
Cassidy Murillo (Yakima, Wash.) worked all night up top, forcing heavy pressure on the Matadors’ Bridgette Conejo. Conejo scored a team-leading 14 points and tallied 11 defensive boards for a double-double.
Off the bench, Samantha Messersmith (Herald, Calif.) tallied a team-leading nine rebounds, for a season-high, including eight defensive boards. She filled the void that Heck left, as she played in-and-out minutes. Messersmith also added two points in the effort. Julee Christianson (Missoula, Mont.) had four points, Kourtney Parks (Bend, Ore.) added two from the charity stripe, and rounding out the active players on the night was Monica Nevi (Renton, Wash.), who saw time on the floor late in the second half.
Despite controlling the pace of the game, Northridge continually put pressure on the Redhawks and worked effectively in offensive spurts to chop down SU’s substantial lead. A composed SeattleU squad responded on point to the Matador’s pressure and did not let it stymie them.
With the victory, SU returns home riding a two-game win streak. They will host the University of North Dakota on Tuesday, Feb. 16, at KeyArena at Seattle Center. The game will mark the team’s first and only game to be played at the professional arena. Tip time is slated for 4:10 p.m. and the men’s squad will take on UC Davis at 7:10 p.m. to close out the Redhawk doubleheader action.