The Seattle University men’s basketball team was able to take the lead in the first half and kept expanding it, especially at the start of the second half, as they defeated San Jose State, 54-38, Saturday night in a non-conference contest at The Event Center.
Isiah Umipig (Federal Way, Wash.) kept his pace of making four three-pointers per game, leading the Redhawks with 16 points, plus he pulled down five rebounds and dished out four assists. Deshaun Sunderhaus (Conyers, Ga.) earned his first start of the season and was a perfect 7-for-7 from the field as he scored 15 points, all in the second half, to go along with five rebounds and four assists.
San Jose State (2-9) scored the first five points of the game on a jumper by Isaac Thornton and a three-pointer from Darryl Gaynor, but Seattle U pulled ahead on back-to-back three-pointers by Jarell Flora (Bremerton, Wash.) and a jumper from William Powell (Huntsville, Ala.). The Redhawks outscored the Spartans 10-4 over the final seven-and-a-half minutes of the first half, holding San Jose State without a field goal during the last five minutes before halftime.
The Redhawks scored the first seven points of the second half, five of them by Sunderhaus, to extend their lead to 36-20 two minutes after halftime. Gaynor hit back-to-back three-pointers to close the Spartan deficit to 12, but Seattle U held San Jose State without a field goal for eight-and-a-half minutes, taking its biggest lead of the night at 20 points twice in the second half.
Flora finished with 11 points and six rebounds as Seattle U shot 45.7 percent (21-of-46) from the field, including 7-of-20 from behind the three-point line, and 5-of-7 from the free throw line. The Redhawks dominated the boards, 40-19, led by Jack Crook (Manchester, England) with 11 rebounds and Powell with nine rebounds. Jadon Cohee (Langley, B.C.) dished out a team-high six assists as he played a season-high 26 minutes for the Redhawks.
"It's always good to get a road win. I am proud of how we played from beginning to end," Seattle U head coach Cameron Dollar said.
Gaynor hit six three-pointers as he led all players with 20 points, but no other Spartan scored more than five points as San Jose State shot just 28.9 percent (13-of-45) from the field, including 8-of-24 from behind the three-point line, and 50 percent (4-of-8) from the free throw line. San Jose State did force Seattle U into 14 turnovers, but the Spartans scored just nine points off those mistakes, while the Redhawks scored 10 points off nine San Jose State turnovers.
The Spartans attempted to stay in the game by slowing the pace down, holding the ball until there was just 15 seconds left on the shot clock on most possessions, but the lack of offensive efficiency eventually hurt the home team and allowed the Redhawks to extend their lead.
Seattle University (4-5) returns to the Connolly Center for the first time in six years as the Redhawks host Northwest University Monday, Dec. 15, starting at 7 p.m. Season-ticket holders should note that this game is not included in the season ticket package, as a separate ticket will need to be purchased for admission to Monday’s game, and seating in the chairback section behind the benches is limited. The game is scheduled to be carried on the WAC Digital Network, and it will also be broadcast live on 770 AM KTTH with Dave Grosby and Gary Hill Jr. calling the game from courtside.