After a closely contested first half, Seattle University used a hot shooting performance and tough defense to pull away with a 70-47 victory over Texas-Pan American Thursday night in the Redhawks’ Western Athletic Conference men’s basketball home opener at KeyArena at Seattle Center.
Isiah Umipig (Federal Way, Wash.) hit seven three-pointers as he led all players with 28 points, while Jarell Flora (Bremerton, Wash.) converted on four three-pointers of his own as he scored 16 points and Jack Crook (Manchester, England) contributed 12 points and six rebounds. William Powell (Huntsville, Ala.) finished with eight points, nine rebounds, and five assists, and Emerson Murray (Vancouver, Wash.) added four assists, four steals, and three rebounds in 29 minutes of action off the bench.
The Redhawks scored the first 10 points of the second half, eight of them by Umipig, to increase its lead to 38-23 three minutes after halftime. Seattle U continued to hold down the Bronc offense while scoring 13 unanswered points over a three-and-a-half minute span, with Umipig and Flora hitting two three-pointers each, to pull ahead by 26, 53-27, with 12:22 remaining in the second half.
After a three-pointer by UTPA’s Janari Joesaar, the Redhawks put together a 13-2 scoring run, led by two more three-pointers from Flora, to take their biggest lead of the night at 66-32 with 8:21 left in regulation. The Broncs did end the game by outscoring the Redhawks 15-4 over the final eight minutes, but by then the contest had long been decided in Seattle U’s favor.
“It was good to get our offensive flow back, especially as the game went along, it was good to see the guys move the ball and move their bodies,” Seattle U head coach Cameron Dollar said. “Defensively as a team, we did a really good job of taking their guys out of their normal play. We kept our turnovers down by going a good job of moving and sharing the ball.”
UT Pan American (7-11, 1-1 WAC) took a 7-5 lead on a three-pointer by Joesaar, but Seattle U responded with seven unanswered points, six on back-to-back three-pointers by Umipig. The Redhawks would score six straight points on baskets by Powell, Umipig, and Crook to take their biggest lead of the first half at 20-11, but the Broncs would put together a 9-2 scoring run over the next three minutes, punctuated by back-to-back layups by Joesaar, to pull within two at 22-20.
Jumpers by Crook and Umipig extended the Redhawk lead to six at 26-20 with 1:44 left in the first half, but the Broncs fought back thanks to a traditional three-point play by Shaquille Hines. Seattle U would take a 28-23 lead into the locker room at halftime thanks to a tip-in by Powell on the Redhawks’ final possession of the first half.
Joesaar was the only Bronc to reach double figures in scoring, reaching 14 points, with Everett Osborne scoring eight points and Hines contributing seven points along with a team-high seven rebounds. As a team, UTPA shot 38.6 percent (17-of-44) from the field, including 3-of-13 from behind the three-point line, and 71.4 percent (10-of-14) from the free throw line.
Thanks to 55.6 percent field goal shooting in the second half, the Redhawks finished at 47.4 percent (27-of-57) from the field for the game, including 11-of-22 from behind the three-point line, and 55.6 percent (5-of-9) from the free throw line. Seattle U won the rebounding battle, 35-24, and scored 20 points off 13 Bronc turnovers, while UTPA was able to score just seven points off eight Seattle U turnovers, a season-low for the Redhawks.
Seattle University (8-8, 1-1 WAC) returns to action Saturday, Jan. 17, to face preseason conference favorite New Mexico State starting at 7:30 p.m. at KeyArena. The game will be broadcast live on the American Sports Network, including KOMO-2 in the Puget Sound area. It will also be carried on 770 AM KTTH, with Dave Grosby and Gary Hill Jr. on the call live from courtside. Tickets for the game are available through Ticketmaster and the KeyArena Box Office.