Seattle University shot the ball well in the first half, but the University of Denver shot it even better, especially from behind the three-point line, as the Pioneers jumped out to a significant lead on their way to a 64-51 victory Saturday afternoon in Western Athletic Conference men's basketball action at KeyArena at Seattle Center.
Denver (9-7, 5-1 WAC) hit six three-pointers in the first 11 minutes of the game to pull out to a 28-9 lead, three of them by Chase Hallam. The Pioneers would hit three more in the rest of the first half as they shot 55.2 percent from the field before halftime to take a 43-29 advantage into the intermission.
An 8-1 scoring run by the Redhawks that spanned the last two minutes of the first half and the first two minutes of the second half closed the gap to 11 at 44-33, but three-pointers from Hallam and Royce O'Neale kept the home team at a distance. Seattle U came within 10 points, but the Redhawks' failure to hit a three-pointer, as well as 11 missed free throws, made the comeback attempt harder, and the Pioneers held on for their fifth straight victory.
Clarence Trent (Tacoma, Wash.) led Seattle U with 15 points and six rebounds, while Deshaun Sunderhaus (Conyers, Ga.) finished with nine points, Prince Obasi (Reseda, Calif.) earned eight points, six rebounds, and three assists, and D'Vonne Pickett Jr. (Seattle, Wash.) contributed eight points, three assists, and four steals.
Hallam led Denver with 17 points, Chris Udofia finished with 15 points, six assists, and three blocked shots, and Jalen Love contributed 11 points, three assists, and two steals. O'Neale nearly notched a double-double with nine points and 10 rebounds, helping the Pioneers win the rebounding battle, 31-30.
The Redhawks shot 46.7 percent (21-of-45) from the field, including 12-of-22 in the first half, but they were 0-for-9 from behind the three-point line and only 9-of-20 from the free throw line. Each team committed 14 turnovers, but Denver made better use of its opportunities, scoring 17 points off turnovers while Seattle U collected 12 points off Pioneer turnovers.
Seattle University (5-10, 0-5 WAC) hits the road next weekend, traveling to UT Arlington Thursday, Jan. 17, and Louisiana Tech Saturday, Jan. 19, for games at 7 p.m. local time both nights (5 p.m. Pacific time). The Redhawks return to KeyArena Thursday, Jan. 24, to face UTSA beginning at 7 p.m. in a game to be televised on ROOT SPORTS.