Seattle University women’s basketball (1-5) scored the first points of the game but second-half turnovers and hot shooting by Washington (6-1) would give the Huskies the 102-69 win in SU’s annual game at KeyArena.
“We played a good first half but Washington’s a good team – this is the best team they’ve had in awhile,” said head coach Joan Bonvicini. “I think the key, even in the first half, was the ability to get rebounds on the offensive glass. I thought we did a nice job, throughout the game, getting baskets in the paint but they went to a trapping defense and we just didn’t make some good decisions.”
Alexis Montgomery (Beaverton, Ore.) scored the first points of the game on a jumper at 19:34 before the Huskies opened up a 9-0 run to lead by seven, 9-2, at 17:09. Wilma Afunugo (Plano, Texas) drove in a layup and sunk a pair of free throws to bring SU within three, 9-6, just a minute later but Washington would build a double digit lead over the next minute and a half on contributions by Aminah Williams and Talia Walton.
Kaylee Best (Seattle, Wash.) brought SU within eight, 17-9, at 14:38 and the Redhawks would trail by single digits three more times over the next seven minutes behind Taelor Ross (Vancouver, Wash.) and Afunugo.
Kelsey Plum’s layup and Walton’s three-pointer would give UW as great as a 14 point lead but a pair of layups from Ross and Afunugo brought the Redhawks within nine, 44-35, at the halftime break.
Ross went 1-for-2 at the line to start the second half before Washington built a 19 point lead five minutes into the second half sparked by a three-pointer by Chantel Oshahor.
Jazmine Davis, Plum, and Walton combined for a 10-2 run as UW led by 25, 71-46, halfway into the second period. A two-minute scoring drought for the Redhawks built the Huskies’ lead to 27, 77-50, by 8:11.
Afunugo and Ross hit four straight buckets for the Redhawks over the final four minutes of the contest while Crystal Allen (Fort Worth, Texas) hit a three-pointer at 2:07, but UW would come away with the 102-69 win.
At halftime of the game, Seattle U athletics honored five female leaders from the Seattle community in what will become an annual tradition for the Redhawks. Former President and CEO of the WNBA’s Seattle Storm Karen Bryant, Seattle Chief of Police Kathleen O’Toole, Seattle University Vice President for Student Development Michele Murray, Director of Seattle’s Community Police Commission Fé Lopez, and Trustee Emeritus of Seattle University Anne Farrell were honored.
Afunugo led all players on the floor with a career-high 24 points while Ross posted a season-high 21 points.
From the field, Seattle U shot 42 percent (29-for-69) while Washington shot 49.3 percent (36-for-73). The Huskies also led from behind the arc and at the line.
Seattle U returns to the Connolly Center to play their third game of the seven-game homestand on Saturday, Dec. 6 at 2 p.m. as they host Loyola Marymount. Links to live stats and the video broadcast, with Brian Abker on the call, will be available on the women’s basketball schedule page at GoSeattleU.com.