“This was a huge win for us on the road, for a lot of reasons,” said head coach Joan Bonvicini. “We did let them back in the game in the second half, but when tough things happened, I was really pleased that our players regrouped and refocused. Makenna [Clark] got a big tip and got the ball to Alexis [Montgomery] and that really gave us momentum going into overtime. We forced some turnovers, got the ball inside, and made some key free throws. Sylvia [Shephard] did a nice job and so did Kacie [Sowell], but it was really a collective team win and it’s something, for us, that we can build on.”
Sylvia Shephard (Alta Loma, Calif.) would hit both free throws a minute and a half in and Taelor Ross (Vancouver, Wash.) would hit a jumper at 18:12 to give the Redhawks an early 4-0 lead. UTPA’s Tonisha Walker and KaeLynn Boyd answered back with their own 5-0 run to take the lead, but Shephard added a layup to regain the Redhawk lead.
A three-pointer by Shawnte’ Goff would jumpstart a 6-0 run which would give the Broncs what would be their largest lead of the day, 11-8, at 10:51. Makenna Clark (Lake Tapps, Wash.) would then retie the game with a three and Shephard regained the Redhawk lead once again, 13-11, at 9:36.
Layups by Kacie Sowell (Ventura, Calif.) and Ross would cap off an overall 9-0 run as SU led, 17-11, by the seven minute mark. A Walker three-pointer and a layup by Brittany Bush brought UTPA within one, 17-16, at 5:59, but SU would score eight straight to lead, 25-16, at 2:38 after Ashley Ward (Irvine, Calif.) went 2-for-2 at the line.
Jasmine Thompson and Sowell traded layups with just over two minutes before half while Kristin Stoffel (Mill Creek, Wash.) and Sowell would contribute back-to-back layups just before half to lead by double digits, 31-19.
The Redhawks would extend their lead to as many as 12, 35-23, just a minute and a half into the second half, but a 12-3 run by the Broncs over the next four minutes would narrow the SU lead to just three, 38-35, at 14:28. A pair of free throws by T’Ondria Nolen would close the gap to three once again two minutes later.
Six straight Redhawk points by Sowell would put Seattle U ahead again by seven, 44-37, at 11:26, but just two minutes later, Goff would tie the game at 46 on a three-point play.
The Broncs regained their first lead since early in the first half on a layup by Bush with just under seven minutes left in regulation but Shephard tied the game, 49 all, with a layup at 6:23.
Shephard would tie the game again at 58 four minutes later following two more lead changes and a pair of ties. Goff put UTPA ahead, 60-58, with just under a minute remaining in regulation as the Broncs appeared to seal the victory. But a key steal by Clark led to a layup by Alexis Montgomery (Beaverton, Ore.) as the clock ticked down. The key basket sent the game into overtime, the Redhawks’ first such contest of the year, the score tied at 60.
Montgomery opened the overtime period with a layup, as each team earned the lead followed by the ninth and tenth ties of the ballgame. Tied at 64, the Redhawks would make three key free throws to seal the lead before going on a 8-4 run with Shephard closing the game going 4-for-4 from the line.
Sowell recorded her seventh double-double of the season with 16 points and 13 rebounds while Shephard led all players on the floor with 22 points. Montgomery also added 13 for Seattle U.
Seattle U shot 58.3 percent (28-for-48) from the field, holding UTPA to just 34.3 percent (23-for-67). The Redhawks narrowly led from the free throw line (65.4 percent to 65.2 percent) in a game with a combined 41 personal fouls. The Redhawks also outrebounded the Broncs, 46-29.
The Redhawks close out the road trip at New Mexico State (7-15, 4-5 WAC) on Saturday, Feb. 8 at 6 p.m. MT/5 p.m. PT.