"Anytime you play a first game, there are always butterflies," said head coach Joan Bonvicini. "Until you really get on the floor and put it all together, you're not sure what is going to happen."
The early minutes of the first half saw some nerves from the Redhawks, as play was back-and-forth. Puget Sound held their only advantage, 4-2, at the 17:37-minute mark off a Joceyln Riordan layin, before SU improved their fluidity, while their defensive efforts began to stymie the Logger guards.
Behind a pair of Elle Kerfoot (Surrey, B.C.) free throws, the Redhawks took a 5-4 lead at 17:14 and never looked back. Kerfoot would provide veteran leadership on the floor, helping pace the Redhawks and set plays early on.
Defensively, Daidra Brown (Seattle, Wash.) picked up from last season as a menace to her opponents. Her strong defensive play was integral in the Redhawks establishing their tempo, as she forced four first half turnovers. Brown anticipated Logger point guard Ashley Agcaioili's drives well and contributed to her five first half turnovers.
Brown would go on to score nine points, tally five steals, four assists, four rebounds and a pair of blocks in the game.
In addition to Brown's quick defensive game up top, sophomore Kacie Sowell (Ventura, Calif.) provided a strong post presence. She had seven rebounds, in addition to her nine points in the game.
As the SU defensive efforts took command, the squad's offensive game started to come together naturally, as the team began to gel much better on the floor.
Freshman Renee Dillard-Brown (Seattle, Wash.) created Seattle U's first double figure point cushion, 16-6, in the game, as she sinked in a layin at the 13-minute mark.
Following Dillard-Brown's clean drive down the lane, UPS continued to fight to cut down the Redhawks lead. They would get as close as five, off a jumper from Agcaioili at the 10:41-minute mark, but Seattle U continued to pick up their play and reestablished a double figure lead less than a minute later off a Sylvia Shephard (Alta Loma, Calif.) trey.
With just over nine to play, Shephard would steal the ball and pass it to a hustling Brown, who paced it down the lane. Brown then faked a layup and quickly dished a hook pass to Ashley Ward (Irvine, Calif.), who made it a 29-11 game.
Ward would go on to put up strong consistent numbers, going 5-for-7 from the field and scoring 11 points. She also had five steals, two defensive boards and an assist.
As their lead grew, their confidence grew. The Redhawks maintained their pace and headed into halftime with a 46-17 advantage.
They remained consistent for the remainder of the game, as they would go on to force a 25-8 turnover margin in the contest.
"The thing I'm happy for is we didn't have a lot of turnovers. We accomplished the goals we had for this game, but I think it's not playing to the score, but playing within what we are capable of doing. I think we have a very good core group and Brenda obviously came in off the bench and is a huge spark plug for us," said Bonvicini.
After scoring six first half points, junior transfer Adhiambo headlined SU's second half offensive efforts. She would go on to score a game-high 18 points, with eight of her second half points scored off second chance opportunities. Adhiambo not only crashed the boards for a game-leading 12 rebounds, but was key in SU scoring 14 second half second chance baskets. The forward was strong at the post and consistent in peppering in shot opportunities.
While the SU offensive continued to establish itself, the defense kept Puget Sound scoreless until the 11:53-minute mark in the second half. The Loggers' Taylor Jones broke up a 45-0 Redhawk run, which extended over both halves for over 12 minutes.
Despite UPS' late efforts, the Redhawks continued to manage and maintain control.
A Dillard-Brown offensive rebound and subsequent layup would swell Seattle U's lead to as high as 50, with just under four to play.
The forward saw 13 minutes off the bench in the game, for four points, an offensive board and an assist.
The Redhawks would go on to score 26 second half points in the paint, while tallying 25 points from the bench.
In the game, SU shot 42.9 percent (33-for-77) to UPS' 28.8 percent (15-for-52). The Redhawks outrebounded the Loggers 52-33, with Seattle U scoring 17 points off their 24 offensive boards.
The starting lineup featured a new face, as senior transfer Talisa Rhea (Juneau, Alaska) made her Redhawk debut. She added a strong presence, both as a scorer from outside and through her veteran leadership, in conjunction with fellow co-captain Kerfoot. Rhea had seven points in the game, a pair of rebounds and an assist.
The Redhawks will officially open up the regular season with a two-game home stand, beginning on Friday, Nov. 11 versus UC Santa Barbara at 7 p.m. Two days later, they square off with UC Davis in a 2 p.m. contest.