The Seattle University women's basketball team found itself in a battle throughout Saturday's game, as CSU Bakersfield stayed within striking distance until a late run allowed the Redhawks to extend their lead, eventually winning on Senior Day, 86-65, at the Connolly Center.
Kacie Sowell (Ventura, Calif.) notched her 14th double-double of the season, leading everyone with 23 points on 10-of-11 shooting from the field along with 15 rebounds. Ashley Ward (Irvine, Calif.) contributed 16 points, nine rebounds, and three steals, and Elle Kerfoot (Surrey, B.C.) earned 15 points, five rebounds, and two steals.
After Sowell scored the first two points of the game on free throws, a three-pointer by Brooklynn Hinkens and a layup by Ciarra Ford gave CSU Bakersfield a 5-2 lead. Seattle U responded with 10 unanswered points to take a 12-5 lead, but the Roadrunners put together eight straight points later in the half to pull to within one at 18-17 with 6:46 remaining before halftime.
Ford hit a three-pointer with 4:42 left in the first half to give CSU Bakersfield a 24-22 advantage, followed by a stretch in which the two teams traded baskets over the next three minutes. Brenda Adhiambo (Mombasa, Kenya) hit back-to-back baskets to put the Redhawks ahead, 32-28, but the Roadrunners pulled to within one at halftime on a three-pointer by Hinkens.
Kristine Herman hit a three-pointer and a free throw to put CSU Bakersfield on top, 35-32, before Kerfoot hit a three-pointer and two free throws as part of a 9-2 Redhawk scoring run that gave the home team a 41-37 lead with 14:20 left in the second half. The Roadrunners came within one point of the Redhawks five times over the next five minutes, the last time on two free throws by Herman to make the score 56-55 with 9:31 remaining on the clock.
Seattle U ratcheted up its defense, only allowing two made field goals by the Roadrunners in the final 10 minutes while rushing out to an 18-4 run, including seven points by Sowell and a three-pointer from Kerfoot. After shooting just 40 percent from the field in the first half, the Redhawks hit 62.9 percent (22-of-35) of their second half field goal attempts in outscoring the Roadrunners after halftime, 54-34.
"We played better in the last ten minutes, that's where the separation was. We picked up our intensity a little bit. We have a big height advantage, so we definitely outrebounded them. I think the big thing for us is to just get better. Obviously this is a little unusual, because now we play them again. I think they'll make some adjustments and now our team has a better idea of how they're going to play. Actually, it was a pretty physical game, so we're going to have to be ready for that when we go down to play them at their place," Seattle U head coach Joan Bonvicini said after the game.
After an emotional Senior Day ceremony, all three active seniors were in the starting lineup, including Amani Butler (Corona, Calif.) earning her first start of the season and contributing four points and two rebounds. Talisa Rhea (Juneau, Alaska) finished with eight points, two rebounds, and four assists. Coming off the bench, Sylvia Shephard (Alta Loma, Calif.) collected eight points and five rebounds, while Adhiambo earned six points, eight rebounds, and two steals.
CSU Bakersfield (6-22) was led by Herman with 23 points and four steals to go along with five rebounds, while Hinkens and Lauren Carter scored 11 points apiece, with Carter also pulling down a team-high six rebounds. As a team, the Roadrunners shot 33.3 percent (22-of-66) from the field, including 8-of-27 from behind the three-point line, and 65.0 percent (13-of-20) from the free throw line.
The Redhawks dominated the boards, winning the rebounding battle, 55-29, that included 22 offensive boards that led to 13 second chance points. Seattle U did commit 23 turnovers, 13 of them in the first half, but it did force CSU Bakersfield into 17 turnovers, 12 of them after halftime.
Seattle University (18-10) will head to Bakersfield, Calif., for the rematch with the Roadrunners next Saturday, March 10, beginning at 7 p.m. The Redhawks are in contention for a postseason berth in either the WNIT or the WBI, and a road victory to end the year would enhance the team's candidacy for those tournaments.