"I think the biggest thing is that we are playing with confidence and we're having fun," said head coach Joan Bonvicini, about earning their third consecutive victory. "I think our team is coming together, we have different players stepping up (at) different (times). Whether it's (the) starters (or) we are getting good contribution from our bench .. we are starting to become a dangerous, confident team."
The Redhawk defense opened up action forcing five consecutive UP turnovers, as they rolled to a 5-0 lead at 18:27. Portland's offense did respond, getting as close as a possession, 5-4, at 16:19, but Seattle U maintained the momentum off a Sylvia Shephard (Alta Loma, Calif.) three-pointer to open up a 6-0 run.
The Pilots would keep the game in range until SU went on a 7-0 run to close out the first half, holding a 36-25 advantage entering halftime.
A Kacie Sowell (Ventura, Calif.) layin ignited an 9-0 Redhawk run to kick off the second half, to extend SU's lead to 20, 45-25, at 16:13.
Seattle U maintained control of the game and their defensive prowess continued to force the Pilots to rush shots. With less than 14 to play, senior Amani Butler (Corona, Calif.) tallied back-to-back baskets and a steal to give the Redhawks their largest lead of the day, 56-32.
Despite being down by 24, Portland began to chip away at the Redhawks sizeable lead heading into the final 10 minutes of action. A ReZina Teclemariam three-point play would bring the Pilots as close at 14, 58-44, at 9:04, but Butler was there again with a layin to pick up SU's play again.
With less than seven minutes remaining, sophomore Ashley Ward (Irvine, Calif.) tacked on consecutive jumpers to continue to put distance between SU and a scrambling UP squad. She would go on to score a game-high 15 points and tie a career-high behind five field goals.
Portland would cut SU's lead down to 14 again, 68-55, but their final rally came up short as Teclemariam's three-pointer was scored with 20 seconds left in regulation.
The Redhawks played like a cohesive unit and showcased their season-long improvement. The squad tallied 15 assists, with Talisa Rhea (Juneau, Alaska) dishing six of them. Rhea also scored 11 points and had six boards in the effort.
Seattle U shot 45 percent (27-for-60) from the field, while Portland was held to 35.1 percent (20-for-57). SU tallied 12 points off of fast breaks and scored 23 points off the Pilots' 28 turnovers.
For the fourth consecutive game, the Redhawks tallied four double figure scorers. Sowell scored in double digits for the ninth straight contest, with 10 points, and senior co-captain Elle Kerfoot (Surrey, B.C.) scored 13 points.
Seattle U remains at home for their next pair of games, hosting Santa Clara on Tuesday, Dec. 13 at 7 p.m. and Saint Mary's on Saturday, Dec. 17 at 4 p.m.