Alexis Byrd scored first for the Pilots in the first 15 seconds of the game, but Kacie Sowell (Ventura, Calif.) evened the score, 2-2, on a layup of her own at 19:31.
A scoreless three minutes ensued for both tdeams before Portland went on a 7-0 run on a three by Jasmine Wooton and a pair of layups by Byrd to lead, 9-2, at 15:11.
Taelor Ross (Vancouver, Wash.) hit a jumper at 14:36 but Byrd added five straight as Portland took a double digit lead, 14-4, at 12:31.
Alexis Montgomery (Beaverton, Ore.) started the Redhawk comeback with a jumper at 11:02 followed by a layup and free throw by Sowell to trail by five, 14-9.
Ashley Ward (Irvine, Calif.) scored three straight on a free throw and following layup and Kaylee Best (Seattle, Wash.) tied the score at 7:44, 16-16, on a three-pointer.
Portland would again take the lead near the six and a half minute mark on a layup by Kari Luttinen and a minute later on a jumper by Amy Pupa and would hold on to a lead of five points or less until 3 minutes left in the half. Ward hit a three to put Seattle U ahead, 27-26, and they would keep the lead through halftime at which point they led, 31-29.
Ross opened the second half with a pair of layups to put the Redhawks ahead by six, 35-29, in the first minute but the Pilots came within one, 35-34, on a comeback started by a Pupa three-pointer.
Montgomery added a three at 17:13 and the Redhawks led by three, 38-35, before over two scoreless minutes after which a Wilma Afunugo (Plano, Texas) layup put SU back ahead by five, 40-35, at 14:36.
Afunugo added a second straight layup and Ross added one of her own at 13:21 as the SU lead remained at five, 45-40.
Portland came within one, 51-50, at 9:22 after a Cassandra Thompson three but the Redhawks extended their lead back out to five on back-to-back layups by Ward and Ross.
Portland tied the game at 55 near the six minute mark following a Cassandra Brown three and a layup by Byrd. Neither team would score again until Montgomery hit a jumper at 3:37 to give SU the two point lead, 57-55.
Sowell extended the Redhawk lead back out to five on a three-point play, but Portland tied the score again, 60-60, at 1:18 and would take their first lead of the second half on free throws by Wooton.
The Pilots would close the game with a 15-3 overall run as Brown drove in a layup with just under a minute left and UP hit three straight free throws as SU fell, 70-63.
Ross led the Redhawks with 13 points while Ward and Sowell scored 12 and Montgomery added 10. Sowell recorded her third double-double of the season, also grabbing 17 rebounds.
As a team, Seattle U (1-4) outshot Portland (3-2) from field-goal range (37.5 percent to 37.3 percent) and from the free-throw line (66.7 percent to 63.2 percent), but Portland led from three-point range (40.0 percent to 38.5 percent).
SU returns home to host their annual Thanksgiving Tournament on Nov. 29-30 as Drake and Cornell face off at 5 p.m. on Friday before Seattle U hosts Coastal Carolina at 7 p.m. The consolation game will take place at 4 p.m. while the championship game will take place at 6 p.m. on Saturday.