Seattle University erased a double-digit deficit in the second half with a 23-2 scoring run, and then capped another rally with a basket by Emmanuel Chibuogwu (Shoreline, Wash.) with six seconds remaining in regulation to defeat Idaho, 68-67, Saturday night in a Western Athletic Conference men’s basketball game at the Cowan Spectrum.
Glen Dean hit a three-pointer to give the Vandals a 49-33 lead with 14:43 remaining in the second half, but then the Redhawks worked their way back into the game over the next eight minutes, outscoring Idaho 23-2 over that span. D’Vonne Pickett Jr. (Seattle, Wash.) scored six points, and then three-pointers by Isiah Umipig (Federal Way, Wash.), Jarell Flora (Bremerton, Wash.), and Chibuogwu put the Redhawks in the lead, with layups by Shore Adenekan (London, England) and Umipig increasing the Seattle U advantage to 56-51 with 6:41 to go.
Idaho (8-14, 2-6 WAC) would score seven unanswered points late in the half, featuring a three-pointer from Connor Hill and a jumper by Stephen Madison with 14 seconds remaining in regulation, to take a 67-63 lead, but Chibuogwu quickly cut that advantage to one with a three-pointer of his own.
The Vandals called a timeout, but then failed to inbound the ball before the five-second count, turning it over to the Redhawks. On the ensuing play, Pickett found Chibuogwu underneath the basket for the go-ahead layup. Although Chibuogwu missed the free throw, the Redhawks were able to play tight defense, as Pickett stole a Vandal pass to close out the comeback victory.
“I am so proud of the fight and toughness my guys showed tonight,” Seattle U head coach Cameron Dollar said. “I am glad to see that effort rewarded with a victory.”
Flora hit 7-of-10 shots from the field to lead Seattle U with 16 points, while Pickett finished with 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field and 3-of-4 shooting from the free throw line, plus he dished out five assists. Umipig collected 13 points and five assists, Chibuogwu scored all 10 of his points in the second half, and Adenekan added six points and nine rebounds to the winning effort.
Madison finished with 27 points, seven rebounds, and four steals, while Hill scored 12 points and Mike Scott contributed 10 points and five rebounds. Despite a game-high 10 rebounds from Bira Seck, Idaho lost the rebounding battle to Seattle U, 33-32, and allowed the Redhawks to shoot 50 percent (28-of-56) from the field, including 64 percent (16-of-25) from the field in the second half.
Seattle U made five of its first six shots of the game to take a 10-6 lead three-and-a-half minutes into the contest, but Idaho responded with a 13-0 run over the next three-and-a-half minutes, led by Madison with eight points and Hill with five points during the run. Down by 10, the Redhawks cut their deficit in half before the Vandals closed out the half on a 13-6 run to extend their lead at halftime, 40-28.
Seattle University (10-10, 2-5 WAC) returns to KeyArena next weekend, first facing Texas-Pan American Thursday, Feb. 6 before a regionally-televised game against New Mexico State Saturday, Feb. 8, with both games starting at 7 p.m. Tickets for both games are available at GoSeattleU.com as well as through Ticketmaster and the KeyArena Box Office during normal business hours.