The Seattle University men's basketball team was able to come back from a double-digit deficit to take the lead in the second half, but Utah Valley made the plays it needed to down the stretch to pull out a 77-72 victory Saturday night at the UCCU Center.
Eric Wallace (Winston-Salem, N.C.) shot 9-of-12 from the field to score 18 points along with eight rebounds, while Aaron Broussard (Federal Way, Wash.) notched his second double-double of the season with 15 points, 12 of them in the second half, and 11 rebounds. Cervante Burrell (Sacramento, Calif.) made his first start of the season and contributed nine points, three rebounds, and five assists.
After Keith Thompson made a basket to open the second half, Seattle U went on a 12-2 scoring run over the next three minutes, with Broussard scoring seven points to lead the way. Utah Valley responded with its own 10-2 run, punctuated by Isiah Williams with back-to-back three-pointers, to reestablish a 12-point advantage at 54-42.
The Redhawks once again pushed back, outscoring the Wolverines 17-4 over a four-minute span to take their first lead since early in the first half at 59-58 with 8:36 left in regulation. After Utah Valley regained the lead, Jarell Flora (Bremerton, Wash.) hit his third three-pointer of the game to push Seattle U back on top, 63-62, with less than eight minutes remaining in the second half.
Utah Valley (8-10) scored the next five points before Broussard converted a traditional three-point play to bring the Redhawks within one at 67-66. Burrell hit two free throws, but Holton Hunsaker swished a three-pointer to give the Wolverines the lead again, 70-68. Burrell came back down the court and hit a jumper to cause a 70-70 tie with 2:43 left in regulation.
Seattle U played solid defense on Utah Valley's next possession to force a tough shot, but Geddes Robinson pulled down the offensive board and dished the ball out to Hunsaker for a three-pointer. Burrell drove the lane and made a tough layup to bring Seattle U back within one, and the Redhawks were able to hold the Wolverines scoreless on the next possession, with Wallace grabbing the defensive rebound.
Seattle U could not score, and Williams was able to hit both free throw attempts to increase the Utah Valley lead to three. The Redhawks went scoreless on their next two possessions, and Alfonzo Hubbard made two free throws with 6.5 seconds remaining to seal the victory for the Wolverines.
With the score tied at 6-6 after three minutes of action, Utah Valley scored nine unanswered points, four of them by Ben Aird, to pull out to a 15-6 advantage. The Wolverines continued to expand their lead thanks to a 14-4 scoring run, bookended by three-pointers from Williams, to give Utah Valley a 32-15 lead.
Seattle U was able to cut the Wolverine lead down to 12 at 40-28 going into the locker room at halftime despite shooting only 33.3 percent from the field in the first half. Meanwhile, Utah Valley shot 48.6 percent from the field before halftime, with half of the Wolverines' first half points coming in the paint.
The Redhawks finished the night shooting 42 percent (29-of-69) from the field after hitting 17-of-33 field goal attempts in the second half. Seattle U only earned nine free throw attempts, making seven, but the Redhawks won the rebounding battle, 41-36, and committed only 13 turnovers.
Williams led the Wolverines with 22 points, while Thompson earned 17 points, four assists, and three blocked shots, and Hunsaker finished with 11 points, six assists, and four steals. Aird collected eight points, 12 rebounds, four blocked shots, and three steals. As a team, Utah Valley shot 46.9 percent (30-of-64) from the field, including 8-of-24 from behind the three-point line, and 9-of-13 from the free throw line, plus committed only 11 turnovers.
Seattle University (3-10) will play its next four games in Seattle, beginning Tuesday, Jan. 10 at the University of Washington at 7 p.m. The game will be televised by ROOT Sports and broadcast on 710 ESPN Seattle. The Redhawks will then begin a three-game homestand Friday, Jan. 13, against Utah Valley at KeyArena starting at 7:10 p.m.