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GAMES #13 & #14: Seattle University returns from a short Christmas break to host two Big West Conference opponents to close out 2015. The Redhawks first welcome UC Davis back to KeyArena Monday, followed by a game Wednesday against UC Santa Barbara. These are the final two non-conference games for Seattle U before it begins the Western Athletic Conference schedule in 2016.
THE WASHINGTON GAME: Seattle University played with the University of Washington throughout most of last Tuesday night’s game, but the Huskies made a couple of key runs to earn the 79-68 victory over the Redhawks in a non-conference game at Alaska Airlines Arena. After Dejounte Murray opened the scoring with a three-pointer a minute into the game, Seattle U scored seven unanswered points, five in a row by Jadon Cohee. After Manroop Clair hit a three-pointer to increase the Redhawk lead to seven, Andrew Andrews scored eight straight points and assisted on a dunk by Malik Dime to put the Huskies into the lead, 15-12. Washington closed the first half with an 11-3 scoring run over the final two-and-a-half minutes, capped by a three-pointer from David Crisp, to take a 46-37 lead into the locker room at halftime. The two teams traded baskets for the first eight minutes of the second half before Seattle U made a run, as a three-pointer by Clair and a tip-in by Aaron Menzies closed the Redhawk deficit to four at 59-55. That would be as close as the Redhawks would get, as Crisp hit a three-pointer, and Noah Dickerson later hit a jumper to give Washington a 69-59 advantage. Washington would go on a 10-2 run over the next four minutes to seal the victory.
SCOUTING UC DAVIS: The Aggies will bring a 4-6 overall record into Monday’s game. After starting the season 4-2, UC Davis has lost four straight games, including a 68-51 loss to Idaho last Tuesday. The Aggies are scoring 68.6 points per game and allowing 68.3 points per contest. As a team, UC Davis is shooting 44.8 percent from the field, including 37.4 percent from behind the three-point line, and 62.7 percent from the free throw line. Josh Fox leads the team with 12.1 points and 7.0 rebounds per game, as he is shooting 57.5 percent from the field. Brynton Lemar is contributing 11.3 points per game, and Neal Monson is the team’s leading rebounder at 8.8 rebounds per game to go along with 9.2 points per game.
SERIES HISTORY: This will be the ninth meeting all-time between Seattle U and UC Davis, with the Redhawks holding a 5-3 lead. The Aggies won the first meeting Dec. 20, 2003, 65-55. The teams met twice per season in both 2009-10 and 2010-11, with Seattle U sweeping the series in 2009-10 and UC Davis returning the favor in 2010-11. Seattle U has won the last three meetings at KeyArena, defeating the Aggies 73-59 on Feb. 20, 2012, and 77-53 on Dec. 2, 2013. In last season’s meeting on Dec. 30, 2014, Isiah Umipig hit seven three-pointers as he led the Redhawks with 33 points, six assists, and three steals in Seattle U’s 76-67 victory over UC Davis. William Powell contributed 13 points, eight rebounds, and four assists in the Redhawk victory.
SCOUTING UC SANTA BARBARA: The Gauchos will bring a 3-7 overall record to the Pacific Northwest. UC Santa Barbara faces Washington on Monday before playing Seattle U on Wednesday. The Gauchos are coming off an 80-76 victory over Iona that snapped a five-game losing streak. Of UC Santa Barbara’s seven losses, four of them have come against PAC-12 opponents. The Gauchos are scoring 67.1 points per game and allowing 74.2 points per contest. As a team, UC Santa Barbara is shooting 42.1 percent from the field, including 31.2 percent from behind the three-point line, and 71.5 percent from the free throw line. Michael Bryson is the team’s leading scorer, averaging 19.1 points per game as he is shooting 49.6 percent from the field and 80.0 percent from the free throw line.
SERIES HISTORY: This is the 10th meeting all-time between Seattle University and UC Santa Barbara, with Seattle U holding a 5-4 series advantage. The two teams played each other every season from 1963-64 through 1967-68, with Seattle U winning all five meetings. UCSB earned its first victory over Seattle U at home during the 1969-70 campaign, a 105-98 victory. In the 1977-78 season in Las Vegas, UCSB earned a 58-55 victory. They would not see each other again on the basketball court until Dec. 30, 2013, when UCSB defeated Seattle U at KeyArena, 86-70. Last season in Santa Barbara, UCSB won 87-46.