The Seattle University women's basketball team fell victim to the three-point shot, as Fresno State hit 15 three-pointers on its way to a 71-61 victory Wednesday afternoon at the Save Mart Center.
Kacie Sowell (Ventura, Calif.) notched her fourth double-double in the last five games and her seventh double-double of the season, leading the Redhawks with 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field and 7-of-9 shooting from the free throw line as well as 13 rebounds, including nine offensive boards. Ashley Ward (Irvine, Calif.) contributed 15 points, four assists, and three steals.
Rosie Moult and Taylor Thompson hit two three-pointers apiece in the first three minutes of the game as Fresno State took an early 14-8 lead. Seattle U scored seven unanswered points, punctuated by a traditional three-point play from Sowell, to pull ahead, 15-14, but the Bulldogs responded with a 13-0 run to go ahead, 27-15, with 11:12 left in the first half.
Ward hit a three-pointer to start a 14-1 Redhawk run over the next eight minutes, taking advantage of five Bulldog turnovers during that span, to regain the lead at 29-28, but Fresno State went 4-for-4 from the free throw line, and Moult nailed another three-pointer in the final minute, to give the Bulldogs a 35-31 lead heading into the locker room at halftime.
Moult continued to fire from long distance in the second half, hitting two more three-pointers in the first two minutes after halftime as the Bulldogs increased their lead to 10 at 43-33. Sowell converted on two free throws to bring the Redhawks within five, but Moult made two more three-pointers, followed by three-pointers from Madison Parrish, Bree Farley, and Thompson, to lead Fresno State on a 20-6 scoring run over an eight-minute span to establish its biggest lead of the game at 66-47.
Fresno State (12-4), coming into the game averaging 9.5 made three-pointers per game, third-most in Division I, hit 15 three-pointers on 35 attempts, the last coming from Alex Sheedy with 2:19 left in the second half. Seattle U scored the last seven points of the game, including four points from Daidra Brown (Seattle, Wash.).
Moult finished the game 9-for-12, all from three-point land, to set a school record for most three-pointers made in a single game on her way to a career-high 27 points. Thompson contributed 13 points, seven rebounds, and three assists, and Farley added nine points, five rebounds, and two steals. Ki-Ki Moore, the team's leading scorer coming into the game, was held to two points, but she did pull down eight rebounds and dish out five assists.
As a team, Seattle U shot 41.4 percent (24-of-58) from the field, including 2-of-14 from the three-point line, and 78.6 percent (11-of-14) from the free throw line. The Redhawks won the rebounding battle, 41-33, but they also committed 21 turnovers that led to 25 Fresno State points.
Seattle University (10-7) returns home and welcomes Chicago State to the Connolly Center North Court Saturday, Jan. 14, for a 4 p.m. contest. Fans can access live stats and live audio with Brian Abker on GoSeattleU.com for free, while live video streaming of the game is also available for a fee.