The Seattle University men's basketball team recovered from a slow start, opening the second half by outscoring UC Davis 26-4 on its way to a 73-59 victory over the Aggies Monday night at KeyArena, the Redhawks' fourth victory in a row.
Aaron Broussard (Federal Way, Wash.) led Seattle U with 16 points and eight rebounds, while Eric Wallace (Winston-Salem, N.C.) finished with 12 points, six rebounds, three steals, and two blocked shots. Prince Obasi (Reseda, Calif.) contributed 12 points off the bench, and Cervante Burrell (Sacramento, Calif.) collected 11 points, three rebounds, five assists, and three steals.
"We were able to come out and impose our will on them in the second half, and it seemed to move smoothly along, which is a good sign of maturity for us," head coach Cameron Dollar said. "I am proud of my guys, they had some good finishes, and things began moving quickly. Once it started snowballing for us, we were good to go."
Back-to-back three-pointers by Broussard and Sterling Carter (Seattle, Wash.) gave Seattle U an early 10-7 advantage, but UC Davis struck back, going on a 22-5 run over the next seven-and-a-half minutes to take its biggest lead of the game at 29-15. The Redhawks closed the gap in the final four minutes of the half, going on an 11-2 run that included three-point plays from Obasi and Wallace, but UC Davis still held a 35-30 advantage at halftime.
Harrison DuPont gave the Aggies a seven-point lead one minute into the second half, but Seattle U suddenly found the range offensively, scoring 11 unanswered points to take a four-point advantage, and then outscoring UC Davis 15-1 over the next five-and-a-half minutes to extend the lead to 56-39 with 12:05 remaining in the second half.
After Josh Ritchart hit a three-pointer, the Redhawks went on an 11-3 scoring run over the next four minutes to take their biggest lead at 73-49 with five minutes remaining in the game. The Aggies scored the final 10 points of the game to close their deficit, but Seattle U was able to hold off the rally by milking the clock on every possession and grabbing the necessary defensive rebounds in the final two minutes.
Clarence Trent (Tacoma, Wash.) and Carter each finished with eight points and six rebounds, with Trent also earning four steals in the contest. As a team, after shooting just 28.6 percent (10-of-35) from the field in the first half, Seattle U shot 51.6 percent (16-of-31) from the field in the second half, plus the Redhawks won the rebounding battle, 46-40, and forced UC Davis into 22 turnovers that led to 23 points.
UC Davis (4-23) was led by Ritchart, who notched a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds, while DuPont continued his hot play by finishing with 15 points, seven rebounds, and three assists. The Aggies shot 36.8 percent (21-of-57) from the field, including 7-of-28 from behind the three-point line, and just 47.6 percent (10-of-21) from the free throw line.
Seattle University (10-14) hits the road for the final time this season, facing Fresno State at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, Calif., this Thursday, Feb. 23, at 7 p.m. Dave Grosby and Gary Hill Jr. will broadcast the game on 710 ESPN Seattle.