A HISTORIC RUN: Seattle University has defeated Pepperdine of the West Coast Conference and Colorado of the Pac-12 Conference to reach the semifinals of the 2015 College Basketball Invitational. Seattle U hits the road to face the Loyola Chicago Ramblers of the Missouri Valley Conference in a battle of Jesuit institutions. The winner of this game heads to the best-of-three championship series against the winner of the Vermont-Louisiana Monroe game taking place at the same time at ULM.
THE COLORADO GAME: Seattle University showed its tenacity Monday night, rallying from a nine-point second-half deficit in front of a sold out crowd at the Connolly Center to defeat the Colorado Buffaloes, 72-65, in the quarterfinals of the College Basketball Invitational. Jarell Flora shot 9-of-18 from the field, including 4-of-8 from behind the three-point line, as he led all players with 22 points, plus he earned two assists and three steals. Isiah Umipig also hit four three-pointers and was a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line to finish with 20 points, three assists, and three steals. Jack Crook and William Powell both went 4-for-4 from the field, as Crook collected 10 points, three rebounds, and four assists, while Powell contributed nine points, seven rebounds, and three assists. Besides a key three-pointer late in the second half, Emerson Murray earned five rebounds and five assists without committing a turnovers, and Jadon Cohee added eight points, three rebounds, and two steals to the winning effort.
TAKING ADVANTAGE OF CHARITY: Isiah Umipig enters Wednesday’s game against Loyola Chicago having made 32 attempts from the free throw line in a row. He missed the first of two free throw attempts with 12:38 remaining in the second half of Seattle U’s regular season finale at Grand Canyon. After hitting the second one against the Antelopes, Umipig has gone 10-for-10 against Chicago State (March 12), 4-for-4 against UMKC (March 13), 8-for-8 against New Mexico State (March 14), 3-for-3 against Pepperdine (March 18), and 6-for-6 against Colorado (March 23). Umipig is now 50th in Division I in free throw percentage at .845 (98-for-116).
SCOUTING LOYOLA CHICAGO: The Ramblers enter Wednesday’s game with a 21-13 overall record, having defeated Rider (62-59) and Oral Roberts (86-78) on their way to the CBI semifinals. Loyola Chicago is a member of the Missouri Valley Conference, finishing with an 8-10 league record, sixth in the conference standings. The Ramblers are averaging 62.7 points per game and giving up 60.8 points per contest. As a team, Loyola Chicago is shooting 47.1 percent from the field, including 39.4 percent from behind the three-point line, and 68.5 percent from the free throw line. Milton Doyle is averaging 11.6 points and 4.5 assists per game, while Christian Thomas is contributing 11.3 points and 4.4 rebounds per game, plus he is shooting 55.6 percent from the field.
SEATTLE U VS. LOYOLA CHICAGO: Seattle U and Loyola Chicago are meeting for the third time in history, with all three meetings taking place in Chicago. On Dec. 27, 1958, Seattle U defeated Loyola Chicago, 70-49. Four years later, on Dec. 22, 1962, Loyola Chicago evened the series with a 93-83 victory on its way to a national championship.
JESUIT BASKETBALL SPOTLIGHT: Wednesday’s matchup between Seattle University and Loyola University Chicago is just one of many this season between the 28 Jesuit colleges and universities across the United States. Dedicated to academic rigor, research, faith and serving others, Jesuit, Catholic education stands at the intersection of minds, hearts and souls. Alumni at the game are just some of the more than 2 million Jesuit graduates in America.