Cervante Burrell (Sacramento, Calif.) matched his season-high in scoring, leading all players with 18 points and seven rebounds on 6-of-11 shooting from the field and 6-of-10 shooting from the free throw line. Alex Jones (Phoenix, Ariz.) made another solid contribution off the bench for the Redhawks, scoring 13 points in 17 minutes of action.
Seattle University scored the first seven points of the game and extended its lead to 13-3 on a layup by Garrett Lever (Phoenix, Ariz.) five minutes into the contest. Utah Valley went on an 8-0 run with four points each by Shawn Deadwiler and Nick Jenson to come within two, but the Redhawks responded with a 9-0 run of their own thanks to back-to-back three-pointers by Chris Gweth (Beaverton, Ore.) and Jones and a traditional three-point play from Taylor Olson (Seattle, Wash.).
After a slow start to the second half in which the teams combined for only four field goals in the first nine minutes after halftime, SeattleU picked up the pace on both ends of the floor, outscoring Utah Valley 10-2 to open a 17-point advantage, 62-45, with 7:40 remaining in the game. The Wolverines scored the final seven points of the game to make the final score closer.
Charles Garcia (Los Angeles, Calif.) scored eight points, all in the first half, while Gweth collected seven points, six rebounds, and four assists. Mike Boxley (Mountlake Terrace, Wash.) and Gavin Gilmore (Pasco, Wash.) also scored seven points each, Aaron Broussard (Federal Way, Wash.) contributed six points, three rebounds, three assists, and two steals, and Lever added five points and six rebounds to the winning effort.
Aaron England hit four three-pointers, three of them in the second half, to lead Utah Valley with 14 points, while Jourdain Scoubes finished with 12 points and five rebounds and Justin Baker went 5-of-6 from the field for 10 points in the game.
Utah Valley (12-17) shot 40.8 percent (20-of-49) from the field, including 6-of-16 from the three-point line, and 64.3 percent (18-of-28) from the free throw line. Meanwhile, SeattleU shot 55.3 percent (26-of-47) from the field, including 4-of-8 from behind the three-point line, and 66.7 percent (18-of-27) from the free throw line.
Seattle University (17-14) will now await its fate as it comes to postseason play, as the team is eligible to compete in the National Invitational Tournament, the College Basketball Invitational, and the CollegeInsider.com Tournament. Selections for those three postseason tournaments are scheduled to be announced Sunday night, March 14.