Seattle University stayed with the University of California throughout Tuesday night’s contest, but scoring runs at the end of the first half and late in the second half allowed the Bears to pull out a 66-52 victory over the Redhawks in a non-conference men’s collegiate basketball game at Haas Pavilion.
Down 34-23 after a tip-in by Kameron Rooks to start the second half, Seattle U scored nine unanswered points, punctuated by a three-pointer by Brendan Westendorf (Kent, Wash.). Cal extended its lead back to six at 40-34 with 13:39 remaining in the second half on a layup by Tyrone Wallace, but the Redhawks responded, going on a 10-1 scoring run over the next four minutes, capped by a three-pointer by Manroop Clair (Vancouver, B.C.), to take the lead at 44-41.
Wallace scored the next seven points to give the Bears the lead for good, and then a three-point play from Jordan Mathews as well as two more free throws from Wallace extended the Cal lead to nine at 53-44. Mathews hit a three-pointer to increase the Bear lead to double digits, where it remained for the final three minutes of the game.
California (5-2) jumped out to an 8-2 lead over the first four minutes of the game, led by four points from Jaylen Brown, but Seattle U responded with six straight points over a four-minute span to tie the game at 10-10. A jumper by Westendorf and a three-pointer from Clair put the Redhawks ahead, 21-18, with 4:37 left in the first half, but Jabari Bird answered with consecutive three-pointers of his own, starting the Bears on a 14-2 run to end the half and give California a 32-23 halftime advantage.
Westendorf led the Redhawks with 13 points and seven assists, plus he pulled down four rebounds, while Clair contributed a season-high 11 points thanks in part to three long distance baskets. Jadon Cohee (Langley, B.C.) finished with eight points and four rebounds, and Jack Crook (Manchester, England) led Seattle U with five rebounds to go along with six points.
“It’s early in the year, and I think that we really competed and played hard, so we just want to continue to get better,” Seattle U head coach Cameron Dollar said. “This (Haas Pavilion) is a great venue, a fun venue for the guys to play in, and I hope our guys got confidence off playing in this situation, in this environment, and I know they will just keep getting better.”
Wallace notched a double-double to lead the Bears, finishing with 17 points and 11 rebounds along with eight assists and three blocked shots. Mathews scored 12 points, Brown contributed 11 points and seven rebounds, and Bird added 11 points, five rebounds, and two blocked shots for California.
Seattle University (2-4) returns home for two special nights at KeyArena, starting with Canadian Heritage Night Friday, Dec. 4, at the Redhawks face Cal State Fullerton starting at 7 p.m. That will be followed by 12s Night at the Key Sunday, Dec. 6, when Seattle U hosts Mississippi Valley State starting at 6 p.m. For information on both games, check out the Facebook events created through Seattle U Athletics, or contact the Seattle U Athletics Ticket Office at 206-398-GOSU (4678).