Cervante Burrell (Sacramento, Calif.) enjoyed his best game in a month, leading Seattle U with 18 points and five assists, while Aaron Broussard (Federal Way, Wash.) finished with 17 points and six rebounds. Both juniors scored 12 points apiece in the second half, but they could not overcome the hot shooting of the Wolverines.
Chad Rasmussen (University Place, Wash.) opened the scoring with a three-point basket, but Utah Valley took early control of the game with a 7-0 run to pull ahead by four, 7-3, three minutes into the contest. The Redhawks responded with a 9-2 run of their own to take a 12-9 advantage eight minutes into the game, but the Wolverines scored seven unanswered points to retake the lead, 16-12, with 8:53 remaining in the first half.
Burrell started driving to the basket, scoring six points during the first half, and Rasmussen hit another three-pointer to bring Seattle U within one at 25-24 with 3:10 left before halftime. Utah Valley scored the final four points of the half to go into the locker room at halftime ahead, 29-24.
A three-pointer by Alex Jones (Phoenix, Ariz.) and a fast-break layup from Garrett Lever (Phoenix, Ariz.) brought Seattle U to within four at 35-31 three minutes into the second half, but Utah Valley responded, as Geddes Robinson hit back-to-back layups and Isiah Williams and Jordan Swarbrick nailed consecutive three-pointers as part of a 10-2 Wolverine run to give the home team a 45-33 lead.
Broussard hit a layup and a three-pointer to cut the Redhawk deficit to four at 51-47 halfway through the second half, but a 9-1 Wolverine run, punctuated by a traditional three-point play from Swarbrick, extended Utah Valley's lead back to 12 at 60-48. The Wolverines used solid free throw shooting to keep Seattle U at a distance, as the home team made 24-of-27 attempts from the charity stripe in the second half to help close out the contest.
Utah Valley (9-8) was led by its starting lineup, as they all scored in double figures, with Holton Hunsaker leading the way with 18 points and six assists. Swarbrick finished with a double-double, earning 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Robinson and Ben Aird each collected 14 points and eight rebounds and Williams also scored 14 points in the contest.
For the game, Utah Valley shot 47.5 percent (28-of-59) from the field, including 5-of-16 from behind the three-point line, and 87.5 percent (28-of-32) from the free throw line. The Wolverines took care of the basketball, committing only 11 turnovers, and won the rebounding battle, 38-35.
Seattle U improved in field goal shooting from 37 percent in the first half to 50 percent in the second half, finishing at 44.3 percent (27-of-61) from the field, including 8-of-24 from behind the three-point line. The Redhawks made only 52.4 percent (11-of-21) of their free throw attempts and committed 18 turnovers.
Seattle University (7-12) continues the current stretch of road games next Wednesday, Jan. 19, against Cal State Northridge beginning at 7 p.m. Dave Grosby and Gary Hill, Jr., will broadcast the game from courtside on 710 ESPN Seattle, beginning with the pregame show shortly before tip-off.