Led by 13 points from Brendan Westendorf (Kent, Wash.) and a double-double by Jack Crook (Manchester, England), Seattle University took advantage of its size by winning the rebounding battle, but Cal State Fullerton’s offense got going in the second half as the Titans defeated the Redhawks, 70-61, Friday night in a non-conference men’s collegiate basketball game at KeyArena.
Besides the 13 points, Westendorf earned five rebounds, three assists, and two steals, while Crook finished with 11 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. William Powell (Huntsville, Ala.) earned nine points, eight rebounds, and two steals, and Manroop Clair (Vancouver, B.C.) also scored nine points with three three-pointers off the bench.
With the score tied at 20-20 at halftime, Cal State Fullerton took the lead for good when Malcolm Brooks hit a three-pointer, starting an 11-4 Titan run that was capped by another Brooks three-pointer. A traditional three-point play from Westendorf closed the Redhawk deficit to two, but Brooks connected on yet another three-pointer. Malik Montoya (Federal Way, Wash.) hit a three-pointer of his own, and Powell made two free throws to bring it back to a one-possession game at 39-36 with 11 minutes remaining in the second half.
Cal State Fullerton (6-1) went on a 15-3 run over the next five minutes, led by 11 points from Brooks, to open a 54-39 advantage. Clair and Westendorf each hit three-pointers to close the gap to eight, but Seattle U would not get much closer the rest of the way, as the Titans went 9-for-14 from the free throw line over the final two minutes to close out the contest.
“We fought hard on defense and hung with it, but we could not get anything going offensively. The turnovers were key, and we can’t do that if we want to win,” Seattle U head coach Cameron Dollar said.
After missing both three-point attempts in the first half, Brooks went 6-for-7 from behind the arc after halftime, finishing with a game-high 20 points. Khalil Ahmad scored 13 points for the Titans, and Lionheart Leslie went 8-for-8 from the free throw line as he contributed 12 points, four rebounds, five assists, and two steals.
The Titans made 50 percent (16-of-32) of their field goal attempts in the second half, including 8-of-15 from behind the three-point line, while the Redhawks were 6-for-10 from long distance and 11-of-13 from the charity stripe after halftime. Cal State Fullerton scored 22 points off 20 Seattle U turnovers, while the Redhawks managed just one point off 10 Titan turnovers, nullifying a 41-36 rebounding edge for the home team.
Seattle University (2-5) hosts Mississippi Valley State Sunday, Dec. 6, at 6 p.m. in a game broadcast by 770 AM KTTH and the WAC Digital Network. It will be 12s Night at the Key, as anyone wearing 12s gear to the box office Sunday evening will receive free tickets for themselves and up to seven guests.