It was an exciting, back-and-forth contest Saturday night in the championship game of the 2011 Seattle University Thanksgiving Tournament, but the University of Akron was able to pull away late in the contest to defeat Seattle University, 85-74, at the Connolly Center.
Kacie Sowell (Ventura, Calif.) scored 15 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field and pulled down seven rebounds, six of them offensive boards, while Talisa Rhea (Juneau, Alaska) also scored 15 points while grabbing six rebounds and dishing out two assists. Ashley Ward (Irvine, Calif.) contributed 14 points, seven rebounds, and three assists, and Amani Butler (Corona, Calif.) provided a spark off the bench for the Redhawks, contributing 11 points, four rebounds, and three steals.
"We knew this was going to be a physical game, and I thought we did a good job. I think we have made huge strides from a year ago to now, but it has to show in the wins and losses. There are still things we can correct, such as rebounding and offensive positioning. I like this team, I like how hard they work, and I liked the contributions from our bench tonight," head coach Joan Bonvicini said.
Akron (3-3) went on a 10-3 scoring run early in the first half to open a 16-10 advantage, but five points from Ward and four points by Brenda Adhiambo (Mombasa, Kenya) sparked the Redhawks to nine unanswered points over the next two-and-a-half minutes. Akron responded with its own 8-0 run, the last four points scored by Ti'eshia Stubbs, to retake the lead, 24-19, with 8:54 left in the first half.
An 8-2 scoring run by the Redhawks capped with a layup from Rhea pulled the home team ahead, 27-26, starting a stretch in which the two teams basically traded points. Down 35-32 with 4:56 remaining before halftime, Seattle U put together a 10-1 run over the next two minutes, with Sylvia Shephard (Alta Loma, Calif.) connecting on two layups during that stretch, to reclaim the lead, 42-36, but Akron's Sina King scored the final seven points of the half to give the Zips a 43-42 halftime advantage.
After a three-pointer by Taylor Ruper and a free throw from Rachel Tecca extended Akron's lead to five (49-44) two minutes into the second half, Seattle U used a three-pointer by Rhea and a traditional three-point play from Butler to retake the lead, 50-49. The action went back-and-forth until the ninth tie of the game at 64-64 with 7:16 remaining in the second half, when the Zips scored 10 unanswered points over the next two-and-a-half minutes to take the lead for good.
Five players scored in double figures for Akron, led by Tecca with 16 points and Ruper with 15 points. King collected 13 points and a team-high eight rebounds, while Stubbs also scored 13 points and Jasmine Mushington contributed 11 points to the winning effort. As a team, the Zips shot 51.6 percent (32-of-62) from the field, including 8-of-20 from behind the three-point line, and 72.2 percent (13-of-18) from the free throw line.
Seattle U struggled in the shooting department, hitting only 36.4 percent (28-of-77) of its field goal attempts, including 5-of-21 from behind the three-point line, and 65.0 percent (13-of-20) from the free throw line. Although the Redhawks did pull down 22 offensive boards, they lost the overall rebounding battle, 45-39, and had 11 shots blocked by Akron players. Seattle U cut down on its turnovers, committing only 11 while forcing the Zips into 19 turnovers.
"I think this was a good, well-played game, and every time we made a run to change the score, they came right back at us," Bonvicini said. "One of the keys in the second half that pulled them ahead was the difference in rebounding, where they got us on second-chance points."
Ruper was named the MVP of the tournament after hitting 11 three-pointers over the two games. She was joined on the All-Tournament Team by her teammate Tecca, who posted a double-double against Loyola Chicago Friday to go along with Saturday's performance. Seattle U is represented on the team by Elle Kerfoot (Surrey, B.C.), who led the Redhawks with 19 points Friday against San Francisco, and Ward, who had 14 points and three assists in each game over the weekend.
In the third place game Saturday, Troy Hambric hit two free throws with 0.5 seconds remaining in regulation to give Loyola Chicago (4-2) a 65-63 victory over San Francisco (1-6). San Francisco jumped out to a 21-6 lead seven minutes into the game, but that advantage disappeared by the end of the first half, and the second half was a hard-fought affair with six ties and six lead changes.
Simone Law was voted onto the All-Tournament Team after posting a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds against the Dons one day after scoring 16 points against Akron. San Francisco's Rheina Ale was also named to the All-Tournament Team, combining a 12-point effort Friday against Seattle U with a 14-point performance against the Ramblers.
Seattle University (2-4) remains home for the next week, welcoming Long Beach State to the Connolly Center Friday, Dec. 2, for a 7 p.m. contest. The Redhawks will then go on their first true road trip of the season, heading to Boise State for a matchup against the Broncos Sunday, Dec. 4, at 2 p.m. local time.