Seattle University was able to control the offense of UC Davis while putting together its own positive offensive output as the Redhawks defeated the Aggies, 76-67, Tuesday night in a men’s collegiate basketball non-conference contest at KeyArena. It was the second consecutive home victory for the Redhawks.
Isiah Umipig (Federal Way, Wash.) shot 11-of-21 from the field, including 7-of-15 from behind the three-point line, and 4-of-6 from the free throw line to compile a season-high total of 33 points, plus he collected four rebounds, six assists, and three steals. Jarell Flora (Bremerton, Wash.) hit four three-pointers as he contributed 15 points and three rebounds, and William Powell (Huntsville, Ala.) earned 13 points, eight rebounds, and four assists during the night.
“We just want to keep getting better. Getting wins, especially at home, is a great sign of improvement,” Seattle U head coach Cameron Dollar said. “We were able to do some good things defensively to battle with them, and offensively we played really well. We were aggressive in attacking the basket, and we executed in a lot of different areas against a good team.”
UC Davis (9-3) took an early 9-5 lead thanks to three three-pointers from Josh Ritchart, but a three-pointer from Umipig started a 9-2 Redhawk run that put the home team ahead, 14-11. An offensive rebound and putback by Neal Monson put the Aggies back on top, 18-16, eight minutes into the contest, but Seattle U rattled off an 18-4 run, led by 13 points from Umipig, to take its biggest lead of the first half at 34-22 with 4:44 remaining before halftime.
Three-pointers by Corey Hawkins and Ritchart allowed the Aggies to close their deficit to five at 35-30, but Emerson Murray (Vancouver, B.C.) stopped the 8-1 UC Davis run with a three-pointer, and Seattle U held the Aggies scoreless over the final two minutes of the half to take a 39-30 lead into the locker room at intermission.
The Aggies stayed close during the early part of the second half, with a three-pointer by Tyler Les cutting the Redhawk lead to seven at 48-41. Seattle U went on a 15-4 run over the next six-and-a-half minutes, with Umipig scoring 12 of those points, to extend its lead to 63-45 halfway through the second half.
Down 71-53 with five minutes remaining in regulation, UC Davis rallied by scoring nine unanswered points over the next three minutes to cut its deficit in half. Powell stopped the Aggie run with a layup off a pass from Murray, and the Redhawks would combine enough defensive stops and made free throws down the stretch to finish the game on top.
Playing 29 minutes off the bench, Murray helped the Redhawks with six points, five rebounds, four assists, and three steals. As a team, Seattle U shot 44.2 percent from the field (23-of-52), including 12-of-23 from behind the three-point line, and 66.7 percent (18-of-27) from the free throw line. The Redhawks committed only 10 turnovers while scoring 16 points off 17 Aggie turnovers.
Ritchart led UC Davis with 21 points, plus he had six rebounds and three assists, while Hawkins eventually finished with 14 points, four rebounds, and three assists before he fouled out. The Aggies shot 44.4 percent from the field (24-of-54), including 12-of-25 from behind the three-point line, and 70.0 percent (7-of-10) from the free throw line.
Seattle University (7-6) completes its regular season non-conference schedule by traveling to California to face CSU Fullerton this Saturday, Jan. 3, starting at 6 p.m. Dave Grosby and Gary Hill Jr. will broadcast the game live on 770 AM KTTH, beginning with the pregame show shortly before tipoff.