Seattle University (17-9) returned home to face the UC Riverside Highlanders (5-23) in their second to last home game of the regular season. Behind another double-double performance by Kacie Sowell (Ventura, Calif.), the Redhawks won their 17th game of the season and extended a five-game winning streak, topping the Highlanders, 64-42.
"For us it's just really focusing on a game at a time," said head coach Joan Bonvicini. "Despite their record, I thought UC Riverside played really hard. They have a lot of young kids, and I think they're going to be a good team down the road. We played a much better second half, we shared the ball better, our intensity on defense was better, and obviously our rebounding was better. It was a balanced win. I think they made us earn every point, but I thought our players rose to the challenge."
Powerful defense on both ends of the court left both teams scoreless for the first two and a half minutes of the game until Ashley Ward (Irvine, Calif.) drove in a layup at the 17:35 mark to put the first points on the board.
The Redhawks went up, 8-2, after a three-pointer by Elle Kerfoot (Surrey, B.C.) with 14:55 left in the first half, but the Highlanders powered back to within two, 10-8, following a layup by Jamila Williams.
UC Riverside kept the point margin close, down by only four nearing the halfway mark of the first half, until a three-pointer by Sylvia Shephard (Alta Loma, Calif.) at 10:46 put the Redhawks up by seven, 15-8.
Seattle U continued their offensive domination, going on a 9-4 run over the next six minutes, fueled by layups by Daidra Brown (Seattle, Wash.), Talisa Rhea (Juneau, Alaska), Maggie McCarthy (Burlingame, Calif.), and Sowell, and a made free-throw by McCarthy, to put Seattle U ahead 24-12 with 6:04 left in the first half.
After two scoreless minutes for both teams, the Highlanders powered back, going on a 6-4 run, to finish the first half, but the Redhawks still held a 10-point advantage, leading 28-18 at the half.
The Redhawks dominantly returned to the court following the halftime break, going on a 12-4 lead before the first media timeout with 15:27 left in the game, leading 40-22.
Kerfoot hit a three-pointer to put the Redhawks up by 20, 43-23, with 14:15 on the clock. Seattle U kept a lead of 20 points or greater for the remainder of the second half, aside from holding a 19-point lead with 4:10 left in the game.
At the 13:44 mark, a made three-pointer by McCarthy put the Redhawks up by 23, at which point their total score doubled the Highlanders' total score for the next 3:02.
A layup by Brown with 11:53 remaining put Seattle U ahead by 27 points, 50-23, which proved to be their largest lead of the game.
With Seattle U leading by 22 at 8:47, 56-34, a scoreless three full minutes ensued until Rhea was fouled by Natasha Hadley and made one of two free-throws for a 23-point lead.
After the 3:01 mark, with the Redhawks leading by 22, 62-40, Jasmine Lemon (Renton, Wash.) added a layup for the Redhawks and Kiara Harewood countered with a layup of her own, and the Redhawks came away with the 22-point victory.
As a team, the Redhawks shot 36.8 percent from the field (25-for-68) and 64.3 percent (9-for-14) from the free-throw line. They out-rebounded the Highlanders 51-36, as well as beating them in total steals, 15-7.
Sowell recorded her 13th double-double of the season, with 10 points and 14 rebounds. Rhea led all players with 14 points and added five rebounds, as well as three assists, and two steals. Ward also scored in double figures for the Redhawks, scoring 12 points and bringing down seven rebounds.
The Highlanders shot just 33.3 percent (18-for-54) from the field, including 33.3 percent (2-for-6) from behind the three-point line, as well as 33.3 percent (4-for-12) from the free-throw line.
Jessica Ogunnorin was the leading scorer for the Highlanders, scoring 11 points with six rebounds. Hadley added 10 points, five rebounds, and two blocks.
Seattle U hits the road to face No. 2 Stanford on Wednesday, Feb. 29 at 7 p.m. before returning home for Senior Day versus CSU Bakersfield on Saturday, Mar. 3 at 4 p.m.