Seattle University women’s basketball took the lead for good in the first two minutes of the game and didn’t look back as they earned their first win of the season at Portland State, 80-68.
“I think, defensively, we were much, much better as a team,” said head coach Joan Bonvicini. “Their only lead of the game was the first two points and then we took the lead for the rest of the game. In the second half, we really picked up our rebounds, we came back and did a great job at that after the half. This was a good team victory and an important one for us and it’s something we can really build on.”
Allie Brock took the early lead for the Vikings (0-2) with a jumper at 19:07, but this would prove to be their only lead as the Redhawks gained the 6-2 advantage in the first two and a half minutes on a jumper by Kacie Sowell (Ventura, Calif.) and pairs of free throws by Sylvia Shephard (Alta Loma, Calif.) and Taelor Ross (Vancouver, Wash.).
As six of the first 10 points between the two teams would come on free throws, PSU would come within two, 6-4, at 17:12, but Seattle U would jump out to a nine point lead, 19-10, at 13:03 on four points apiece by Ross and Sowell.
The Vikings would come within one, 19-18, at 11:11 thanks to eight straight points by Kate Lanz, capped off by a three-pointer, but Shephard added a three of her own 20 seconds later to give SU a four point cushion.
Delanie Parry brought PSU back within one again at 9:07 on the Vikings’ third straight three-pointer, but the Redhawks would take their first double digit lead, 34-24, at 6:33 thanks in part to a jumper and three free throws by Ross.
The Redhawks extended their lead to as many as 14, 40-26, by the final media timeout of the first half on two-point contributions by each member of the senior class, capped off by an Ashley Ward (Irvine, Calif.) jumper.
A 10-2 run by Portland State put them within six, 42-36, at 1:50, during which six points on the run came off of free throws.
Kristin Stoffel (Mill Creek, Wash.) added a pair of free throws of her own near the one minute mark and the Vikings added three more as Seattle U held on to a five point lead, 44-39, at the half.
Sowell scored on a jumper less than a minute into the second half and Emily Easom put PSU back within four, 46-42, 22 seconds later on a shot from behind the three-point arc.
The Redhawks would jump back out to a nine point lead, 55-46, at 16:36 on two jumpers by Sowell and a three by Shephard before over four scoreless minutes for either team ensued.
Lanz would put the Vikings back within five at 9:01 on a pair of free throws, but that would be as close as Portland State would get as SU jumped back out to a 14 point lead, 68-54, by the under-eight media timeout following back-to-back jumpers by Ross and Sowell.
A run during which Shephard would score seven of the Redhawks’ ten points put SU ahead by 15, 78-63, at 2:14 and she would add a final layup with 27 seconds remaining as Seattle U came away with the win, 80-68.
Shephard led the Redhawks with a career-high 25 points while Sowell added 24 points and Ross contributed a career best 15 points. Shephard recorded her first double-double of the season, also grabbing 13 rebounds.
Three different Vikings scored in double figures led by Lanz with 20 points and Brock and Easom with 16 and 11 points, respectively.
As a team, Seattle U led in field-goal percentage (49.2 percent to 33.3 percent) and from behind the three-point line (36.4 percent to 28.6 percent), but Portland State shot 88.9 percent from the free-throw line to SU’s 50 percent, as 24 of the Vikings’ points came from free throws. The Redhawks outrebounded the Vikings, 41-39.
Seattle U (1-3) remains in the Rose City for the rest of the weekend as they travel the short distance to face Portland on Sunday, Nov. 24 at 4 p.m. before returning home to Seattle for their annual Thanksgiving tournament on Nov. 29-30.