Seattle University fought back twice from double-digit deficits in the second half to force overtime and, after falling behind in the overtime session, came back again, capped by a putback from senior Aaron Broussard (Federal Way, Wash.) with 1.2 seconds remaining, to defeat Longwood University, 100-99, Saturday afternoon at Willett Hall.
Down by 21 points after Longwood's Antwan Carter hit the first basket of the second half, Seattle U started its first comeback, outscoring the Lancers 28-7 over the next nine-and-a-half minutes to pull into a 60-60 tie. Carter scored seven unanswered points in the span of a minute-and-a-half, and David Robinson hit a three-pointer to extend the Lancers' lead to 70-60 with 7:55 remaining in regulation.
Every time Seattle U crept closer over the next three minutes, Martiz Washington would hit a three-pointer, making three of them, and a three-point play by Carter kept the Redhawks nine points back with 4:07 left in the second half. A Carter layup with two minutes left gave Longwood an 86-80 advantage, but Seattle U scored the final six points of the half on two layups by Broussard and a steal and layin from Cervante Burrell (Sacramento, Calif.) to force the extra period.
Longwood (8-16) pulled ahead 97-93 with 45 seconds left in the overtime session with a jumper by Carter and two free throws from Tristan Carey. Broussard made two free throws to cut the Lancer lead in half, but Jan van der Kooij converted on two free throws to extend Longwood's advantage to 99-95 with 16 seconds left in the overtime period.
Chad Rasmussen (University Place, Wash.) hit a three-pointer to cut the Lancer lead to one, and Seattle U forced Carey into a turnover, Longwood's 18th turnover after halftime. Clarence Trent (Tacoma, Wash.) missed a three-point attempt, but Eric Wallace (Winston-Salem, N.C.) grabbed the rebound. The ball somehow found its way to Broussard, who kissed the ball off the glass through the net to give Seattle U its first lead since early in the first half. Longwood never got a shot off in its final possession, giving the Redhawks their first road victory since November.
Broussard finished the game with 33 points, the third time he has scored more than 30 points this season, on 14-of-25 shooting from the field, plus he pulled down eight rebounds, dished out three assists, and earned two steals. Burrell notched a double-double for the second straight game with 14 points and 12 assists to go along with six rebounds and four steals, and Rasmussen hit six three-pointers to finish with a season-high 18 points.
Seattle U's first four baskets came from behind the three-point line, but back-to-back three-pointers by Washington and van der Kooij gave Longwood the early lead. Robinson scored six straight Lancer points as Longwood went on a 10-1 scoring run to extend its lead to 24-13 nine minutes into the game.
After back-to-back baskets by Wallace and Broussard cut the Redhawk deficit to seven, Carey and Washington combined to outscore Seattle U 16-5 over the next four minutes, including two three-pointers apiece, to extend Longwood's advantage to 40-22 with 6:15 left in the first half.
Rasmussen hit two three-pointers to keep Seattle U within striking distance, but Longwood was able to extend the lead again to 51-32 at halftime by shooting 19-of-32 from the field, including 7-of-13 from behind the three-point line, in the first half. Meanwhile, the Redhawks committed 10 turnovers and hit only 12-of-29 shots from the field.
The second half was a reversal for the Redhawks, as Seattle U committed only three turnovers after halftime and hit 28-of-60 attempts from the field. The Redhawks enjoyed a slight advantage on the boards, 45-43, led by Wallace with 13 rebounds to go along with nine points and four blocked shots. Sterling Carter (Seattle, Wash.) added 13 points, four rebounds, and three assists to the winning effort.
With only eight players dressed, the Lancers depended heavily on the starting lineup, as all five starters played over 40 minutes in the game. After a quiet first half, Carter made an impact after halftime, scoring 24 of his 27 points in the second half and overtime, plus he grabbed 13 rebounds, dished out three assists, and blocked four shots. Carey also notched a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds to go along with six assists and five steals.
Washington hit seven three-pointers during a 24-point performance that also featured eight rebounds, six assists, and two steals, Robinson finished with 17 points and five assists, and van der Kooij contributed seven points, eight rebounds, three assists, and two blocks. For the game, Longwood shot 50.7 percent (35-of-69) from the field, including 13-of-29 from behind the three-point line, and 72.7 percent (16-of-22) from the free throw line.
This was the first time Seattle University reached 100 points as a Division I school since scoring 106 points against Seattle Pacific during the 1979-80 season. The Redhawks last won an overtime game Feb. 24, 2009, also in comeback fashion at Eastern Washington, 63-59.
Seattle University (7-14) plays five of its final six games of the season at home, beginning this Tuesday, Feb. 14, against Northwest University at KeyArena starting at 7:10 p.m. Tickets for all remaining Redhawk home games are available through Ticketmaster and at the KeyArena Box Office.