It was all Seattle University all afternoon, as the Redhawk women's basketball team cruised to a 62-43 victory over the University of Idaho Saturday in the Connolly Center. Seattle U stunned a talented Vandal squad behind a solid offensive game and strong bench presence. With the victory, SU improves to 3-6, while IU falls to 6-3.
"I really worked them in practice this week," said head coach Joan Bonvicini. "We are playing the style of basketball I like to play and it paid off, as we got a convincing victory today. It was just a great team win."
"A lot starts with Daidra (Brown) because of her anticipation and getting Elle (Kerfoot) open jumpers. (Along with) different people scoring, everyone was picking it up," Bonvicini said.
The Redhawks put together their most convincing performance of the season. In the game, they shot 39.3 percent (24-for-61) from the field, to Idaho's 27.5 percent (14-for-51). Seattle U saw much success from three-point land, as they were 45 percent from beyond the arc to Idaho's dismal 6.3 percent.
Daidra Brown (Seattle, Wash.) was a key component in the Redhawks success. She provided a spark both on offense and defense, guiding SU to their third victory of the season. She tied her career-high with 14 points in the game, going 6-for-10 from the field, with a pair of three-pointers. In addition to her all-around offensive game, she made a game-leading eight steals, for a career-high, and had five rebounds. In a team-leading 32 minutes of work, the sophomore transfer also had four assists.
"We had so much fun out there today; we played together," said Brown. "That's the best win, when we come together and have fun. We are developing a hard working identity. We are hard workers and we don't give up."
The game started off slow, with both sides struggling to find the basket. It was Brown who got SU's offense going two minutes into the game with a jumper. The Redhawks leading scorer Elle Kerfoot (Surrey, B.C.) would then send in one of her four three-pointers to give Seattle U a 5-4 lead heading inside the 16-minute mark.
Kerfoot would go on to score 18 points, going 7-for-11 from the field. She had four boards, four assists and a steal in 31 minutes of action.
Seattle U would be held scoreless for the following three minutes. They struggled to maintain their momentum and a flurry of offensive opportunities were not reflected in the score. During that time, Idaho would go on a 4-0 run.
Ashley Ward (Irvine, Calif.) and Amani Butler (Corona, Calif.) would reignite SU's offense, as they combined for four Redhawk points to make it a 9-8 game in favor of Seattle U with 12:05 remaining.
As the clock reached the midway point in the first half, both sides would battle for the offensive advantage. The Redhawks would hold onto a three-point lead heading inside 10 minutes, but a three minute scoring slump by both teams slowed down the pace of the game.
With 7:16 left in the half, Brown would go on to score back-to-back Redhawk baskets, including a three-pointer from the top of the key to make it a 20-16 contest. At that point, Seattle U was able to take control of the contest.
Kerfoot and Brown would go onto add 11 points in the final four-and-a-half minutes of action and Ward closed out the half with a jumper with three seconds left on the clock to send the Redhawks into the locker room with a 33-18 lead.
Seattle U took an early 15 point lead to start the second half, off a Tatiana Heck (Lynnwood, Wash.) jumper. Idaho would cut down SU's lead to 12, with 14:04 left in regulation behind consecutive baskets from Shaena Kuehu and Rachele Kloke, but Julee Christianson (Missoula, Mont.) stymied the IU offensive momentum. The senior came off the bench and made a clutch three-pointer from the corner to give Seattle U the offensive lift they needed.
The Vandals would continue to try to knock at the Redhawks' door, but scoring droughts from both sides simultaneously prevented UI from significantly chopping down Seattle U's growing lead.
Christianson would slam in her second three-pointer of the game with 6:28 left, to give Seattle U a 23-point lead, 55-32, their largest lead of the game.
From that point forward, Seattle U maintained the tempo of the game and continued to see strong contributions from their bench. Sylvia Shephard (Alta Loma, Calif.), who had been quiet all afternoon, would close out the game with SU's final five points.
The Redhawks, who played with a smaller lineup on the floor throughout the entire game, were quicker and stronger on the defensive end. They forced 27 Vandal turnovers, which they converted into 29 points. The SU bench, headlined by Christianson's six points, had 19 points. Seattle U also outrebounded Idaho 41-36, seeing their 15 offensive boards account for seven second chance Redhawk points.
SU will look to carry the momentum of their sizeable victory into Monday's contest versus UC Irvine. The Redhawks will take on UCI at 7 p.m. on Dec. 13, in the Connolly Center.