“We played a good first half and we needed to put a full game together,” said head coach Joan Bonvicini. “We had some lapses in the second half but we hit free throws when we needed to and got key stops and rebounds. It’s nice to see Alexis Montgomery really step up, not just offensively, but also rebounding-wise. Kaylee Best also had some really good rebounds. It was a good confidence-boosting win for our team, one we definitely needed.”
Wilma Afunugo (Plano, Texas) and Alexis Montgomery (Beaverton, Ore.) opened the contest with back-to-back layups before LMU scored seven straight to take a one-point lead, 7-6, by the first media timeout.
The Lions would lead by as many as three, 9-6 on a layup by Alyson Lock but Afunugo added a layup of her own a minute later to regain the Redhawk lead for good.
Montgomery contributed four points on the 8-0 run as Seattle U led by seven, 16-9, just under halfway through the first half. SU built their first half lead to eight, 20-12, by 7:23 on a wide-open jumper from Claire Metoyer (Desoto, Texas) and would earn their first double digit lead, 30-19, with three minutes remaining before half.
Sophie Taylor went 2-for-2 from the line with 1:17 remaining before half to bring Loyola Marymount within six, 30-24, but Afunugo drove in a layup to build the Redhawk lead back to eight, 32-24, at the midpoint of the game.
The Redhawks would keep a lead of more than six for the first six minutes of the second half before the Lions cut it to four, 40-36, at 13:44 on a jumper by Taylor Anderson. Kaylee Best (Seattle, Wash.) hit a key three at 13:30 to stop the Lions’ threat and put SU back up by seven, 43-36.
Montgomery hit a jumper at 12:52 to put the Redhawks back up by nine, 45-36, but LMU would build an 8-2 run to trail by just three, 47-44, with just under 10 minutes left in the contest.
With just under four minutes remaining, the Redhawks answered again as Montgomery hit a key three to give Seattle U a five-point advantage, 53-48, at 3:59. LMU cut it to one, 53-52, with just over three minutes remaining but SU would close with a 9-5 run to win by five, 62-57. Six straight made free throws by Montgomery and Best sealed the Redhawk win.
Montgomery led all players on the floor with her second career double-double, a career-high 26 points and 13 rebounds. Afunugo (12 pts) and Best (11 pts) also scored in double figures for the Redhawks.
The Redhawks outrebounded the Lions, 43-41, also leading in steals, 10-7.
Seattle U remains home to host San Diego (Friday, Dec. 12) and San Francisco (Sunday, Dec. 14) next weekend.
Stay tuned to Facebook (Seattle U Athletics; Seattle University Women’s Basketball), Twitter (@su_athletics; @su_wbb), and Instagram (su_redhawks; su_wbb) for all the latest updates on the team throughout the 2014-15 campaign.