Seattle University could not find a rhythm throughout the night, struggling on the offensive side of the court and allowing UC Irvine enough chances to give the Anteaters a 78-67 victory in men's basketball action Tuesday night at the Bren Events Center.
Aaron Broussard (Federal Way, Wash.) finished with 18 points, nine rebounds, and three steals, but shot just 6-of-17 from the field, including 0-for-5 from behind the three-point line. Prince Obasi (Reseda, Calif.) contributed 14 points and six rebounds off the bench, and Eric Wallace (Winston-Salem, N.C.) earned nine points, 10 rebounds, and seven blocked shots, the most by a Seattle U player in recent memory.
Back-to-back baskets by Wallace and Obasi gave the Redhawks an early four-point lead at 10-6, and Sterling Carter (Seattle, Wash.) answered a three-pointer by Daman Starring with one of his own to maintain that advantage. UC Irvine pulled into a 13-13 tie on two free throws by Michael Wilder and a jumper from Will Davis II, but Jarell Flora (Bremerton, Wash.) put the Redhawks back on top at 16-13 with a three-pointer with 13:11 left in the first half.
UC Irvine (7-13) took the lead for good, going on a 16-3 scoring run over the next seven minutes that included back-to-back three-pointers by Derick Flowers and Collin Woods. The Redhawks scored the next five points to cut their deficit in half, but Wilder scored five straight points to help the Anteaters reestablish their 10-point advantage. Once again, the Redhawks pulled to within five, as Obasi hit a three-pointer with 1:13 remaining in the first half to make the score 36-31 at halftime.
After Cervante Burrell (Sacramento, Calif.) hit a layup to bring Seattle U to within three at 42-39 four minutes into the second half, UC Irvine scored the next seven points, punctuated by a three-pointer from Starring, to extend its advantage to 10 at 49-39. Back-to-back three-point plays from Broussard helped the Redhawks close the gap down to three points at 51-48, but the Anteaters were continually able to hold off Seattle U's charge the rest of the night.
Seattle U shot just 33.3 percent (23-of-69) from the field, including 6-of-17 from behind the three-point line, and committed 19 turnovers that led to 19 Anteater points. Although UC Irvine shot only 38.4 percent (28-of-73) from the field, including 6-of-24 from behind the three-point line, the Anteaters pulled down 17 offensive rebounds as part of a 52-49 rebounding edge and committed only 14 turnovers during the contest.
Davis notched a double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds, plus he earned five blocked shots, while Adam Folker pulled down a game-high 15 rebounds. Three other Anteaters scored in double figures, with Chris McNealy scoring 13 points, Starring contributing 12 points, five rebounds, and four assists, and Wilder adding 10 points to the winning effort.
Seattle University (5-13) goes on a 10-day break before hosting Arkansas State Saturday, Feb. 4, at KeyArena beginning at 7:10 p.m. Tickets for that game, as well as all remaining Seattle U home games, are available through Ticketmaster and at the KeyArena Box Office.