Thanks in part to the 16th double-double of the season for Kacie Sowell (Ventura, Calif.), Seattle University recorded their first Division I postseason win in school history to top North Dakota, 61-47 and advance to the second round of the Women's Basketball Invitational.
"I think [everything] started with defense", said head coach Joan Bonvicini. "When we increased our defensive intensity, [things changed]. I thought also when Daidra [Brown] came in, she didn't really score a lot, but she changed the intensity on defense, so we got more of a flow. North Dakota is a very good defensive team and, obviously, it showed. But I thought once we got a better defensive rhythm from the start of the second half, they had a hard time scoring."
North Dakota (21-11) got on the board first, as Allyssa Wall hit a jumper at the 18:32 mark, but the Redhawks quickly responded as Sowell drove in for a layup with 18:15 left in the first half.
After a 2-2 tie over the first three minutes of the game, North Dakota went on an 8-2 run over the next four minutes to take the 10-4 lead.
A three-pointer by Talisa Rhea (Juneau, Alaska) at the 13:00 mark, followed by a layup by Ashley Ward (Irvine, Calif.) invigorated the crowd and brought the Redhawks back to within one, 10-9.
Over the next minute and a half, North Dakota went on a 6-0 run, but the Redhawks came powering back to tie the game and take their first lead, 17-16, on a Sowell free-throw at the 9:18 mark.
The teams traded baskets, and the lead, for the remainder of the first half and Seattle U held their largest lead of the half at the halftime break, 33-27.
The Redhawks went on a 6-2 run over the first four minutes of the second half, and Seattle U held a ten-point lead at the first media timeout of the second half, 39-29, with 15:44 left in the contest.
North Dakota came within seven, but a Daidra Brown (Seattle, Wash.) three-pointer as the shot clock ran out followed by a layup by Sylvia Shephard (Alta Loma, Calif.) put the Redhawks ahead, 45-33, with 11:37 left. Seattle U continued to control the momentum of the game, leading by as many as 17, 55-38, with 8:47 left.
The Sioux came back to within 10, 55-45, with 4:48 left in the contest, on a Wall jumper. After a three-pointer by Shephard put the Redhawks back up by 13, three scoreless minutes by either team followed.
Two good free-throw shots at the end of the game by Katie Houdek brought North Dakota to within 14, but time expired and Seattle U came away with the win, 61-47, marking their first Division I postseason win in school history.
Shephard led the Redhawks with 15 points and nine rebounds, shooting 6-for-14 from the field, and added three assists and one steal. Sowell recorded 14 points and 14 rebounds, as well as an assist and two steals. Rhea also scored in double figures for Seattle U, scoring 11 points and recording five rebounds, an assist, and two steals.
Wall led North Dakota with 16 points and six rebounds, shooting 8-for-13 from the field.
Seattle U shot 34.3 percent from the field, 27.6 percent from behind the three-point line, and 55.6 percent from the free-throw line. They outshot North Dakota from the field and from behind the three-point line (30.9 percent and 14.3 percent, respectively, for the Sioux), but North Dakota topped Seattle U from the free-throw line (78.6 percent). Seattle U won the steals battle, 17-9, but North Dakota out-rebounded the Redhawks, 50-39.
Seattle University (19-11) welcomes Wright State to the Connolly Center for the second round of the Women's Basketball Invitational on Sunday, March 18, at 2 p.m.