In the first half, Lever hit back-to-back three-pointers to cap an 11-0 SeattleU run to give the Redhawks an early 16-6 lead. After Eastern Washington had come back in the first half and took the lead in the second half, Lever grabbed a defensive rebound and hit another three-pointer with 5:08 remaining to put SeattleU back on top, 53-51.
Eastern Washington (6-17) made one final push, as Kevin Winford hit a three-pointer with 3:08 left in the second half to give the Eagles a 58-55 advantage. Aaron Broussard (Federal Way, Wash.) raced down the court and converted a layup, followed by a steal by Taylor Olson (Seattle, Wash.), who sent a pass ahead to Cervante Burrell (Sacramento, Calif.) for a layup that put the Redhawks ahead for good.
Charles Garcia (Los Angeles, Calif.) finished with 11 points, four rebounds, and two blocked shots, while Broussard earned 10 points and a team-high eight rebounds. Gavin Gilmore (Pasco, Wash.) contributed nine points, as did Alex Jones (Phoenix, Ariz.), while Chris Gweth (Beaverton, Ore.) hit two key three-pointers in the second half on his way to totaling eight points, four rebounds, and three steals.
Burrell scored seven points and dished out five assists during the game, and Olson, making his first career start in place of an injured Mike Boxley (Mountlake Terrace, Wash.), pulled down four rebounds along with the crucial steal in crunch time. For the game, SeattleU shot 40.4 percent (21-of-52) from the field, including 5-of-17 from the three-point line, and 75.0 percent (21-of-28) from the free throw line, including 9-of-10 in the final two minutes to hold off the Eagles.
Jeffrey Forbes led Eastern Washington with 14 points, while Glen Dean collected 13 points, four rebounds, four assists, and two steals. Brandon Moore notched a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, and Winford added nine points and two steals. The Eagles shot 41.4 percent from the field (24-of-58), including 3-of-20 from behind the three-point arc, and 11-of-14 (78.6%) from the free throw line.
SeattleU won the rebounding battle, 38-32, in a game that was a far cry from the 100-97 offensive showdown in Cheney on Dec. 12. The Redhawks committed 20 turnovers, but forced Eastern Washington into 19 turnovers. After the game SeattleU head coach Cameron Dollar praised the play of the Redhawk bench, which outscored the Eagle reserves, 30-14.
Seattle University (10-13) heads to Portland, Ore., for a Super Sunday battle against the Vikings of Portland State. Game time has been moved up to 12 noon on Sunday, Feb. 7. SeattleU returns to KeyArena Saturday, Feb. 13, for a rematch with Sacramento State, an 80-67 winner on Jan. 9, in a contest set to begin at 1:00 p.m.