It was the same story for the Redhawks, another tale of two halves. In this case they frontloaded their offensive and defensive efforts, and were unable to preserve their first half energy to conclude the year on a winning note.
Both squads missed on their opening possessions, but Ashley Brown (Kirkland, Wash.) broke SU onto the board with a three from the top of the key. She slammed in a second nearly a minute later and added a 13 foot jumper to give the Redhawks an 8-0 lead in the early minutes of play.
Brown went on to have the best offensive day for the Redhawks, as she scored a team-leading 21 points, including five three-pointers. She also grabbed down six defensive boards and had three assists in 33 minutes of work.
The Redhawks dominated play early and kept North Carolina Central off the board for the first four minutes of the game. Following three straight baskets from Brown, Tatiana Heck (Mountlake Terrace, Wash.) added back-to-back lane jumpers to extend SU's run to 12-0.
Elle Kerfoot (Surrey, B.C.) made it a 15-0 game with a three from the top and Brown added a second jumper with just over 15 minutes left in the first half. At 14:49, NCCU made their first points of the game, making it a 17-3 game.
Joanna Miller made it a 19-8 game with a three, but seconds later Cassidy Murillo (Yakima, Wash.) responded with her own basket from beyond the arc to get on the board for the first time. Miller cut it to a 10 point contest with just under 11 minutes left in the first half with three consecutive baskets.
After starting off sluggish, Miller would go on and to score 24 points for NCCU to lead her squad to a third place finish in the tournament.
The Eagles offense followed with a 19-10 run midway through the first half. After a stellar 17 uninterrupted points to kick off the game, the Redhawks struggled to maintain their early momentum on all ends of the floor.
Julee Christianson (Missoula, Mont.) snapped the NCCU's run with layup, but it was not enough to stymie the Eagle offense. North Carolina Central continued to chop down the Redhawk lead, as SU only held a 24-21 advantage with less than eight minutes left in the half.
At 6:50 Blaire Houston made it a one point game with a lane shot and Danielle Deberry gave the Eagles their first lead a minute later with three made free throw shots. Heck tied it immediately after on SeattleU's next possession with a quick shot down low and Kerfoot knocked in a three.
Down 30-29 with under five minutes left in the first half, Samantha Messersmith (Herald, Calif.) put SeattleU back on the board at 1:52, after the Redhawks maintained possession of the ball for nearly three minutes without out being able to score. Kerfoot added a jumper to make it a 33-30 game as the clock hit one minute left in the half. Her basket would be the final one of the half.
The Redhawks went into the locker room with a slight 33-30 lead and the Eagles cut it to one immediately to begin the final half of play. Miller gave North Carolina Central's their first lead of the second half with her second three of the game.
A fighting Redhawks squad, countered with a jumper from Kerfoot, but Deberry responded for the Eagles with her own lane shot and Houston gave NCCU a three point lead with an open drive down the floor.
SeattleU was down 44-39 with 14:15 remaining in the game, despite struggling to regain their early offensive rhythm they kept it a close game. Heck made it a four point contest with a converted free throw and she was sent to the line on the next SU possession, where she cut the Eagle lead to three.
Heck began to become a stronger inside presence for the SeattleU. In their third consecutive possession the junior center went to shoot inside and was fouled, sending her to the line again. She made both her charity stripe baskets and added a jumper down low to cut NCCU's lead to 48-45 at 10:18. A hot Miller, countered with a three to make it a six point game instantaneously.
It was a seven point game with less than 10 minutes left in regulation. Following a timeout, SU checked the ball into Brown and she perfectly shot in a three for her third of the game. With Brown's three and Kerfoot's following free throws, SeattleU made it a two point game.
As they saw their 2009-10 season come down the stretch, the Redhawk defense began to play much more aggressively. The offense responded and began to play much more composed. The team's leading scorer, Brown, regained the Redhawk lead with back-to-back three's to make it a 56-52 ball game with 5:02 remaining.
After keeping them scoreless for nearly three minutes, the Eagles got back onto the board with a layup to make it a one possession game. A momentum building SeattleU squad found leading scorer Brown, as she was just outside the key to give the Redhawks a four point lead.
SU was unable to capitalize on their two possession lead, as a firing Miller made it a 58-56 game with 2:25 left, after making her free throws. She then tied it up a minute later with a 15 foot jumper and gave the Eagles the lead, 60-58, with 49.7 seconds left on a hard drive inside.
The Redhawks could not convert on their ensuing possession and Miller capped off the game with a final jumper.
SeattleU had three players score in double-figures, led by Brown. Behind the senior forward was Heck, with 16 points, five boards, three assists and a steal. Rounding trio of double-digit scorers was Kerfoot with 12 points. She also had five boards, two steals and an assist.
Senior Murillo concluded her Redhawk career with seven assists, six boards, three points and a steal.
The Redhawks, under first season head coach Joan Bonvicini, conclude their first full season playing at the NCAA Division I level.