“We lacked mental and emotional toughness today and there were a lot of things we could’ve done better,” said head coach Joan Bonvicini. “I think we’re a team that’s improved tremendously but we need to learn to finish games.”
Bakersfield would start with a 4-0 lead and would lead by four, 6-2, a minute and a half later on contributions by Tyonna Outland and Batabe Zempare. The Redhawks would take their first lead at 15:55, 7-6, on a jumper by Crystal Allen (Fort Worth, Texas).
The teams would trade the lead three different times over the next six minutes as the Redhawks regained the lead, 15-13, at 9:47 on a Makenna Clark (Lake Tapps, Wash.) layup.
Outland regained the lead for Bakersfield a minute later as they would lead by only as many as three, but Jazmine Johnson (Lakewood, Calif.) hit a key jumper at 5:46 to regain the SU lead.
Taelor Ross (Vancouver, Wash.) hit a jumper and Allen added a three at 5:05 to put the Redhawks up by five, the largest lead by either team in the first half, but a Brooklynn Hinkens three would knot the score at 24 with 4:04 left before half.
Outland took back the lead once again for the Roadrunners, 28-26, with just under three and a half minutes left in the first half, but a Claire Metoyer (Desoto, Texas) three at 2:52 would put the Redhawks up for the remainder of the half. SU would lead by three two different times in the final three minutes and would hold on to a one point lead at half, 33-32.
A jumper by Ross three minutes into the second half would give the Redhawks a three-point lead but Hinkens would hit back-to-back buckets at 14:04 to put CSUB up by five, 46-41.
Ross would tie the game for the eighth time with 11 and a half minutes left, 47-47, and the Redhawks would lead by as many as five, 53-48, three minutes later.
Zempare would once again tie the game, for the ninth and final time, on a three-point play with 7:21 remaining as the Roadrunners went on a 15-1 run over the next five minutes to lead by nine, 63-54, with 2:03 on the clock.
Allen would cut off the run with a layup at 1:38 and a free throw by Johnson with 52 seconds left would cut the Redhawk deficit to six but CSUB would lead by as many as 10, 67-57, in the final minute and would come away with a 69-62 win.
Renee Dillard-Brown (Seattle, Wash.) made her first career start, tying her career high eight rebounds set last weekend vs. Kansas City. Ross led the Redhawks with 19 points while Allen added 15.
Outland led all players on the floor with 22 points while Zempare added 19 (double-double with 12 rebounds) and Hinkens scored 14. The trio combined for 55 of Bakersfield’s 69 points.
Seattle U led from the field, shooting 40.7 percent (24-for-59) to the Roadrunners’ 38.5 percent (25-for-65) as well as from the line (64.7 percent to 51.7 percent).
The Redhawks hit the road to open February with WAC contests at Grand Canyon (Thursday, Feb. 5) and Utah Valley (Saturday, Feb. 7). After a heavy home schedule early in the season, the Redhawks will play five of seven games in February on the road.
Stay tuned to GoSeattleU.com as well as 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.