A 46-point second half rally fell short, as the Seattle University women's basketball team was edged 66-62 by UC Davis Sunday afternoon at the Connolly Center.
"We lost to a very good team," said head coach Joan Bonvicini of UC Davis. "(I'm) disappointed we didn't play two halves and didn't come out more mentally tough ... I liked our run in the second half."
It was not the start the Redhawks had expected, as the Aggies forced them to play on their heels and shoot off target early on; however a much more confident and decisive team performed in the second half for SU.
"A lot of it was mental errors and even when we got it (within) two points in the second half, it was mental errors. We get it to two and miss a layup, and then make mental errors on the defensive end and it cost us the game," commented Bonvicini on SU coming up short after a battling back in the second half.
The contest proved to be a true tale of two halves, as UC Davis took off early and sunk four three-pointers in the first nine minutes to take a 19-7 advantage.
After a five-minute Seattle U scoring drought Brenda Adhiambo (Mombasa, Kenya) responded by making it a 10-point contest, 19-9, off a dish from Talisa Rhea (Juneau, Alaska) below the basket at 10:53.
For the second consecutive game Rhea led the SU offense, scoring a team-high 16 points, including going a perfect 5-for-5 from the stripe. She also dished a game-high nine assists in 39 minutes of work.
Despite getting back in range, the Redhawks were unable to pick up their momentum and close in on Davis' early advantage. The Aggies forced Seattle U to commit 16 first half turnovers which they converted into 19 points to go into halftime holding a 31-16 lead.
"I think we were a little bit more relaxed in getting the ball to spots on the court to where we could be effective. We really tried to look inside to our post game and I think in the first half we were rushing it a little bit and not moving the ball well," said Rhea of SU's second half adjustments.
After being down by as much as 20 in the first half, the Redhawks began to get their game plan in motion off the hot hand of Rhea. She had three assists and a three-pointer in the first five minutes of the second half to bring her squad to within 15.
With less than 14 to play, Sylvia Shephard (Alta Loma, Calif.) sunk a three-pointer from the corner and freshman Renee Dillard-Brown (Seattle, Wash.) added a free throw to make it a 47-32 contest.
Rhea continued to pick up SU's momentum, sinking five consecutive points, including a 25-foot jumper to bring the Redhawks within 10, 47-37 at 12:10.
As play headed into the final 10 minutes of regulation, SU rode a 19-2 run to bring the game within a possession, 49-47, at 8:28, off back-to-back jumpers from Kacie Sowell (Ventura, Calif.) and Adhiambo.
Sophomore Sowell earned her first double-double of the season with 15 points and 13 boards in 32 minutes of work; while junior transfer Adhiambo scored 10 points, added eight boards and a pair of steals.
UC Davis responded to the Redhawk momentum swing with a 14-2 run of their own, providing themselves with a multi-possession advantage until the final minute of action.
With 24.4 seconds to play, Rhea was fouled beyond the arc and sent to the free throw line, where she made all three baskets.
Elle Kerfoot (Surrey, B.C.) then drained a three-pointer with nine seconds to keep Seattle U alive and within a possession, 64-62.
However, UCD's (2-0) Samantha Meggison, who scored a game-high 18 points, was fouled on the Aggies ensuing possession and made both her charity stripe baskets to seal the victory in favor of Davis.
After shooting 29.2 percent (7-for-24) from the field in the first half, the Redhawks picked up their shooting percentage to 37.5 (21-for-56) in the game; while UCD shot 44.2 percent (23-for-52) in the contest.
Seattle U outrebounded Davis 46-29, including an 18-8 offensive board mark; however the Redhawks committed 25 turnovers in the game, which materialized into 34 Aggie points.
The Redhawks (1-1) will remain in Seattle, traveling to Alaska Airlines Arena to face Washington (0-1) on Wednesday, Nov. 16 at 7 p.m. The Huskies fell 69-68 to the Aggies in their home opener on Nov. 11.