Aaron Broussard (Federal Way, Wash.) led the Redhawks with 22 points, getting to the free throw line 16 times during the game as he continually drove towards the basket. Cervante Burrell (Sacramento, Calif.) earned his first career double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds, earning 12 attempts from the charity stripe along the way.
Seattle U scored seven unanswered points early in the game to take a 10-4 lead, thanks in part to a three-pointer and a tip-in by Sterling Carter (Seattle, Wash.). Cal State Northridge responded with its own 8-0 on traditional three-point plays from Josh Greene and Michael Lizarraga, as well as a basket by Frankie Eteuati.
After the two teams traded points for the next two minutes, the Redhawks went on a 9-0 scoring run, started by back-to-back layups from Broussard, to pull ahead, 23-16, with 8:17 remaining in the half. Again the two teams traded points to keep the Seattle U lead constant until the visitors ended the half by outscoring the Matadors, 8-3, over the last three minutes to go into halftime ahead, 39-29.
Carter started the second half with a layup and a three-pointer to extend Seattle U's lead to 44-30 one minute after halftime, but Cal State Northridge responded with an 11-2 run, thanks in part to two three-pointers from Vinnie McGhee, to cut its deficit down to five at 46-41. The Matadors would eventually take a short-lived lead, but after he made the go-ahead basket, Greene drew a technical foul, and Burrell hit both free throws that would start a 6-0 Redhawk run.
After Burrell hit a jumper with just under five minutes left in regulation to put Seattle U back on top, 62-60, Raymond Cody hit a three-pointer to give the Matadors a 63-62 advantage. With the Redhawks down by one, Burrell stole the ball, drove the length of the court, and hit a floater to put the visitors back on top, 66-65. On the next possession, Burrell found Broussard all alone underneath the basket for an easy layup and a three-point lead for the Redhawks.
Cal State Northridge (5-13) was stymied in the last four minutes as Seattle University kept possession of the ball with offensive rebounds and tough defense. Seattle U went 7-for-10 from the free throw line in the final two minutes to extend its lead, and the Matadors received only a three-pointer from Dathan Lyles with four seconds left as the Redhawks clinched the season sweep.
Carter finished the night with 12 points, and Alex Jones (Phoenix, Ariz.) added eight points. Garrett Lever (Phoenix, Ariz.) made contributions all over the floor during the game, collecting six points, four rebounds, four assists, and six steals. As a team, Seattle U shot only 34.9 percent (22-of-63) from the field, but pulled down 25 offensive rebounds in winning the rebounding battle, 44-36, and converting on 17 second chance points.
The Matadors were led by Lyles, who finished with 10 points, four assists, and two steals, while Lenny Daniel earned nine points, six rebounds, and two blocked shots, but hurt his own cause by making only 5-of-12 attempts from the free throw line. Cal State Northridge shot 48.0 percent (24-of-50) from the field, including 5-of-16 from behind the three-point line, and 55.6 percent (15-of-27) from the free throw line.
Seattle University (8-12) heads right back to California, this time traveling to the Central Valley to take on the Fresno State Bulldogs Monday, Jan. 24, at 8 p.m. Dave Grosby and Gary Hill, Jr., will broadcast the game live from courtside on 710 ESPN Seattle, beginning with the pregame show shortly before tipoff.