BACK ON FAMILIAR GROUND: After three straight road games, Seattle University closes out the first half of the Western Athletic Conference schedule with a home game against Grand Canyon University. The Redhawks bring a five-game home winning streak into Thursday night’s contest as they look to break out of a four-team logjam currently tied for third place in the WAC standings.
THE BAKERSFIELD GAME: After Seattle University rallied from a five-point deficit in the final minute of regulation to force overtime and scored the first points of the extra period, Bakersfield rattled off 11 unanswered points to earn a 71-61 overtime victory over the Redhawks Saturday night at the Icardo Center. William Powell scored a career-high 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field and 4-of-5 shooting from the free throw line, plus he collected four rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Emerson Murray notched a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds, plus he dished out seven assists and had two steals, and Jadon Cohee contributed 10 points off the bench. With Seattle U down 53-48 with less than a minute remaining, Isiah Umipig was fouled attempting a three-pointer, hitting all three free throws to cut the Redhawk deficit to two. After the teams exchanged one free throw each, Seattle U executed an inbounds play perfectly, as Powell hit a wide-open layup with 4.5 seconds to tie the game, and the Roadrunners could not answer on their final possession, forcing overtime. Murray hit a three-pointer to give Seattle U the lead in the extra period, but Kevin Mays scored seven points during the Bakersfield run that put the Roadrunners on top for good. CSUB went 6-for-6 from the free throw line in the final 30 seconds to close out the contest. For the game, the Redhawks shot 46.8 percent (22-of-47) from the field, including 3-of-11 from behind the three-point line, and 63.6 percent (14-of-22) from the free throw line. Averaging close to 18 points per game coming into the night, Umipig scored just five points, all on free throws, before fouling out near the end of regulation.
SCOUTING GRAND CANYON: The Antelopes enter Thursday’s game with a 12-11 overall record, including non-conference wins over Illinois-Chicago, New Mexico, and UC Riverside. During WAC play, Grand Canyon is 3-3 after losing to Chicago State last Saturday night, 56-55. The Antelopes are scoring 68.0 points per game and giving up 68.3 points per contest. As a team, Grand Canyon is shooting 44.7 percent from the field, including 33.7 percent from behind the three-point line, and 67.9 percent from the free throw line. DeWayne Russell has emerged as the team’s leading scorer, averaging 16.8 points per game, while Joshua Braun is contributing 11.7 points and 5.0 rebounds per game.
SEATTLE U VS. GRAND CANYON: Seattle U and Grand Canyon are meeting for the fourth time in history, with Grand Canyon winning the previous three meetings. On Dec. 17, 2002, in Phoenix, Grand Canyon held off Seattle U for a 78-77 victory. Last season, the Antelopes won both games between the two schools, starting with a 71-63 win on Jan. 25 at the GCU Arena. Nobody reached double figures in points for the Redhawks, while Jerome Garrison led Grand Canyon with 24 points. In the rematch Feb. 20 at KeyArena, Garrison hit a free throw with 13 seconds remaining in regulation, and the Antelopes stopped the Redhawks on their final possession to secure a 74-73 victory in a game that featured 18 ties and 15 lead changes. Isiah Umipig led Seattle U with 30 points, while Killian Larson led Grand Canyon with 20 points and 11 rebounds.
WHERE TO CATCH THE GAME: Thursday’s game will be available online through the WAC Digital Network, which can be accessed by visiting www.wacsports.com/watch. It will also be broadcast live on 770 AM KTTH, with Dave Grosby and Gary Hill Jr. providing the play-by-play from KeyArena, starting with the pregame show shortly before tipoff.