"I thought our defensive intensity and ability to execute the game plan was excellent," said head coach Joan Bonvicini. "This was a game we had within our reach and I think we need to knock down some free throws and limit turnovers, but I liked our effort."
The contest opened with each side sending in three-pointers, but it was Chicago State who would go on a 9-4 run and set an aggressive early tempo.
Five turnovers in the first eight minutes prevented SU from taking over the game pace, as they were unable to establish a fluid rhythm. Despite difficulties consistently controlling the ball offensively, the Redhawks kept pace with the Cougars on the defensive end. They limited Chicago State from taking off on a significant scoring run, while they worked to adjust their offensive game plan.
Inside the nine-minute mark, CSU worked to establish a double figure advantage, but consecutive three's by Elle Kerfoot (Surrey, B.C.) and Daidra Brown (Seattle, Wash.) would kick start the Redhawk offense.
At 4:56, a feed from Kerfoot to Carley Butcher (Pitt Meadows, B.C.) would give Seattle U their first lead of the game, 23-22.
Sophomore Butcher was the team's second-leading scorer with 10 points, to tie a season high, in her sixth consecutive start.
Chicago State would retake the point advantage on a 4-0 run, but Salena Dickerson (Federal Way, Wash.) would make it a one-point game off a pair of free throws and Amani Butler (Corona, Calif.) added a layin to make it a 27-26 game with under two to play in the first half in favor of the Redhawks. The Cougars would go onto even the score heading into halftime.
The second half started off with the ball shuffling between squads, until CSU's Natalie Marlowe sent in a trey just over a minute into action to open up a 10-3 Cougar run.
Seattle U would respond with a 6-0 run to make it a one possession game heading inside the 15-minure mark, but an open three-pointer from Chicago State's leading scorer Tressa Beckel allowed CSU to take a 40-36 advantage.
Beckel would score a game-leading 26 points in the contest, going 11-for-14 from the free throw line. She also grabbed down 11 boards.
The Cougars would hold a 44-40 advantage for over four minutes, until Dickerson added a pair of baskets from the stripe at 8:14.
Gritty defense by Brown, who had five steals, would prevent Chicago State from having the opportunity to go on a another scoring run, but late trouble scoring inside the lane and turnovers continued to stymie SU's offense.
The Redhawks committed 29 turnovers to CSU's 27.
SU would take the lead with 3:41 left off a Kerfoot three-pointer, 47-46. She would go on to be the team's leading scorer with 17 points, going 6-for-15 from the field and dropping in five three's. The junior point guard also had nine boards, for a season high
Both sides would transfer the lead in the final three minutes, but fouls down the stretch sent CSU to the line. At the charity stripe, the Cougars were able to add insurance points to prevent the Redhawks from retaking the lead to close out the game.
SU will next travel to Laramie, Wyo. to close out their three-game road trip at the University of Wyoming on Wednesday, Jan. 17, in a 7 p.m. MT contest.