The Seattle University women's basketball team was more aggressive on both ends of the floor, causing problems for the UW Milwaukee offense and getting to the free throw line enough times to earn a 63-56 victory Wednesday night at the Klotsche Center.
Kacie Sowell (Ventura, Calif.) took advantage of Panther foul trouble, shooting 7-of-13 from the field on her way to lead the Redhawks with 18 points and nine rebounds. Ashley Ward (Irvine, Calif.) went 8-for-8 from the free throw line as she scored 14 points, 12 of them in the second half, and Talisa Rhea (Juneau, Alaska) contributed 10 points and five assists.
Both teams struggled coming out of the gate, combining for 18 turnovers and only 14 points in the first nine minutes of the game. Alex Klawitter hit a three-pointer and Ashley Green converted on a jumper to give the Panthers a 12-8 lead, but back-to-back layups by Sowell and Daidra Brown (Seattle, Wash.) pulled the Redhawks into a 12-12 tie with 8:19 left in the first half.
Angela Rodriguez scored five straight UW Milwaukee points to put the home team on top, 17-14, but Rhea launched consecutive three-pointers to pull the Redhawks ahead, 21-19, with 4:25 remaining in the first half. Elle Kerfoot (Surrey, B.C.) hit a wide-open three-pointer as time ran out in the first half to extend Seattle U's lead to 26-21 at halftime.
After Sami Tucker hit a three-pointer to bring the Panthers within three at 27-24, Ward scored six straight points to extend Seattle U's lead to nine at 33-24 with 16:42 left in the second half. UW Milwaukee roared back with an 11-2 scoring run over the next four minutes, punctuated by a three-pointer from Rodriguez that tied the game at 37-37.
Seattle U came right back with eight unanswered points as Sowell took advantage of a mismatch with three layups while UW Milwaukee missed six straight shots. The Panthers recovered, going on a 12-4 scoring run over a three-minute span, including another three-pointer by Rodriguez, to pull into a 49-49 tie.
Down 52-51 with 3:17 left in regulation, Seattle U regained the lead on layups by Sowell and Brown. UW Milwaukee's Kiki Wilson hit a jumper to tie the game at 56-56, but the Redhawks went 7-for-8 from the free throw line in the final minute while preventing the Panthers from scoring any more points.
Brown made a significant contribution off the bench with eight points and four rebounds, including two key rebounds in the last minute to help Seattle U ice the game. After shooting just 30.8 percent (8-of-26) from the field in the first half, the Redhawks hit 12-of-21 shots from the field in the second half, plus Seattle U went 20-of-28 (71.4%) from the charity stripe in the game.
UW Milwaukee (6-14) was led by Green with 14 points and six steals, while Rodriguez finished with 13 points and Courtney Lindfors contributed 10 points, but was able to play only 18 minutes due to foul trouble. As a team, the Panthers shot just 33.9 percent (19-of-56) from the field, including 6-of-24 from behind the three-point line, plus they lost the rebounding battle to the Redhawks, 37-32.
Seattle University (13-9) will have a week to prepare for Portland State, as the Redhawks will travel south to face the Vikings next Thursday, Feb. 9, beginning at 7 p.m.