"With being on the road and losing a few games, I think we needed to gain back our confidence," said head coach Joan Bonvicini. "We didn't start the game very strong, they started hitting some three's, and we were down by eight. But I think we really showed a lot of poise in that stretch; we came back, we were switching defenses quite a bit, and I think we confused them. Then we started rolling from the middle of the first half on."
Denver took the early lead, jumping out to an 8-2 advantage on three straight baskets by Alison Janecek, and extended their lead to eight, 16-8, at the 12:58 mark of the first half following a layup and three-pointer by Kailey Edwards.
At 10:57, the Pioneers led again by eight, 20-12, but Seattle U went on an 11-2 run over the next five minutes to take the lead, 23-22. The Redhawks would keep this lead for the remainder of the contest.
A minute later, SU extended their lead to seven, 29-22, following a three-point play by Sylvia Shephard (Alta Loma, Calif.) on a Denver foul.
The Redhawks would again lead by seven with 1:59 left in the first half, 31-24, and kept a four point lead, 31-27, at the half.
After Kacie Sowell (Ventura, Calif.) opened up the second half with a layup to put Seattle U ahead by six, neither team scored over the next three straight minutes. SU would extend their lead to double digits, 37-27, at 15:47 after back-to-back layups by Sowell and Daidra Brown (Seattle, Wash.).
Taelor Ross (Vancouver, Wash.) added a layup and Ashley Ward (Irvine, Calif.) would sink a pair of free-throws to give SU the 14 point lead, 43-29, at 13:23, followed by two more scoreless minutes for either team.
The Redhawks would lead by as many as 23, 55-32, with 7:01 left in the contest, as the Pioneers were shooting just 1-for-20 at one point in the second half. Over the first 13 minutes of the second half, SU went on an 18-2 run overall.
Denver fought back, coming within 11 two different times in the final two minutes of the contest, on an 18-6 run. Emiko Smith added a free throw to make the final margin 10, as the Redhawks came away with the 63-53 win.
Shephard led all players with 15 points, with Brown scoring 12. Sowell and Ward also scored in double figures with 11 points apiece.
Maiya Michel and Smith led the Pioneers with 11 points apiece, as Michel recorded a double-double, also adding 13 rebounds. The Redhawks held Morgan Van Riper-Rose, Denver's leading scorer, to zero points, as she went 0-for-11 from the field.
Denver slightly outrebounded the Redhawks, 38-37, but SU led in assists, 15-10, and steals, 10-8. Seattle U also led in field-goal percentage, shooting 25-for-53 from the field (47.2 percent), three-point field-goal percentage, shooting 3-for-7 (42.9 percent), and from the free-throw line, shooting 10-for-18 (55.6 percent). The Redhawks held Denver to just 32.8 percent from the field.
The Redhawks remain at home as they host New Mexico State on Saturday, Feb. 9 at 4 p.m. to round out the weekend. This will be the team's Play 4Kay game, as proceeds from the game as well as a special raffle, silent auction, popcorn sales, and more will go to benefit the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. To donate towards the Seattle U goal, click HERE. If the team reaches their fundraising goal of $5000, Bonvicini will get pied in the face by one of her players at center court following the game.