Seattle University was able to bounce back Sunday night, controlling the game from the start as it defeated Sacramento State, 66-47, in a men’s collegiate basketball non-conference contest at KeyArena.
Jarell Flora (Bremerton, Wash.) notched his first career double-double thanks to career high totals in both scoring and rebounding, as he finished with 26 points on 10-of-18 shooting from the field, including 5-of-10 from behind the three-point line, and 10 rebounds. Isiah Umipig (Federal Way, Wash.) also went 5-for-10 from long distance as he collected 19 points, and Jack Crook (Manchester, England) contributed nine points along with team-high totals of 12 rebounds and six assists.
After Mikh McKinney hit a three-pointer early in the game for Sacramento State, Seattle U scored seven unanswered points to take the lead, 9-3, and then increased that lead to 18-7 with 7:49 remaining in the first half on back-to-back three-pointers by Flora and Umipig. The two teams basically traded baskets the rest of the first half, with the Redhawks extending their lead to 30-17 at halftime on a three-pointer by Umipig and a follow-up dunk by William Powell (Huntsville, Ala.).
The two teams continued to trade baskets during the first part of the second half, with Flora hitting a wide-open three-pointer to give the Redhawks their then-biggest lead of the night at 44-30 four-and-a-half minutes into the second half.
Sacramento State (5-5) brought its deficit down to single digits with a 7-0 run, punctuated by a three-pointer by Dylan Garrity. The Redhawks responded with a basket by Flora and a three-pointer from Umipig to extend their lead back to 12 at 51-39 with 8:42 left in the second half. Over the final five minutes, the Redhawks outscored the Hornets 10-3, including a dunk by Flora as part of a traditional three-point play.
“We are building some resiliency. We have gotten much better at moving forward and trying to get better. As the season moves along, we need to understand that we can do some things to give opponents problems. I’m excited to see that the guys wanted to fight and get back on the floor again after Friday night,” Seattle U head coach Cameron Dollar said.
McKinney hit four three-pointers as he led the Hornets with 16 points, but Sacramento State struggled offensively, shooting only 30.4 percent (17-of-56) from the field, including 8-of-27 from behind the three-point line. Sacramento State did score 15 points off 11 Seattle U turnovers while committing only seven turnovers of its own.
As a team, Seattle U shot 47.2 percent (25-of-53) from the field, including 10-of-21 from behind the three-point line, and 85.7 percent (6-of-7) from the free throw line in a game with only 19 total fouls called. The Redhawks won the rebounding battle, 40-28, with Powell contributing seven boards to go along with six points and two assists.
Seattle University (6-6) will not play again until Tuesday, Dec. 30, when it faces the UC Davis Aggies at KeyArena starting at 7 p.m. The game will be streamed live on the WAC Digital Network (www.wacsports.com/watch). It will also be broadcast on 770 AM KTTH with Dave Grosby and Gary Hill Jr. on the call starting with the pregame show shortly before tipoff.