Led by a double-double from redshirt freshman Aaron Menzies (Manchester, England), Seattle University received contributions from several players as it defeated Northwest Indian College, 98-36, Thursday night in the inaugural First Nations Classic held at the ShoWare Center.
Menzies shot 9-of-14 from the field as he scored a game-high 21 points, plus he pulled down 13 rebounds, including seven offensive boards. He was one of five Redhawks, all off the bench, to score in double figures, as Zack Moore (Bellevue, Wash.) scored 17 points, Jake Spurgeon (Lake Oswego, Ore.) finished with 16 points, and Malik Montoya (Federal Way, Wash.) and Jadon Cohee (Langley, B.C.) added 10 points apiece.
The Redhawks scored the first seven points of the game and opened a 24-3 lead in the first six-and-a-half minutes of the contest. After Sheridan Nodestine hit a three-pointer midway through the first half, Seattle U outscored Northwest Indian College 20-7 to go into the locker room at halftime ahead, 48-20.
Seattle U opened the second half with 10 unanswered points over the first four minutes, including seven points by Menzies, before Nodestine hit another three-pointer. The Redhawks kept expanding the lead the rest of the way, as they shot 56.3 percent (40-of-71) from the field, including 9-of-21 from behind the three-point line, plus they scored 27 points off 23 Eagle turnovers.
“Tonight, we wanted to give some guys who haven’t received as much opportunity so far a chance to play some minutes, so there definitely is a purpose to a game like this,” Seattle U head coach Cameron Dollar said. “The guys that did play showed that they are getting better and are more comfortable playing with each other.”
Nodestine led the Eagles with 15 points on five three-pointers, while Mike Schjang continually attacked the basket and finished with eight points, seven rebounds, three assists, and four steals. Northwest Indian College was held to 22 percent shooting from the field (13-of-59), including 8-of-27 from behind the three-point line.
Seattle University (4-6) will play three of its next four games at KeyArena, starting this Sunday, Dec. 20, when it hosts San Jose State starting at 6 p.m. It is the annual Holiday Hoopla game, featuring Santa Claus on the concourse before the game and a halftime concert by Casper Babypants. Tickets are available online through Ticketmaster or at the KeyArena Box Office during normal business hours.