Five players scored in double figures as Seattle University executed its offense well throughout the game on its way to a 70-59 victory over UT Rio Grande Valley Saturday night in a Western Athletic Conference men’s collegiate basketball contest at KeyArena at Seattle Center.
Jack Crook (Manchester, England) shot 8-of-12 from the field as he finished with a game-high 16 points, plus he pulled down four rebounds and dished out five assists. Emmanuel Chibuogwu (Seattle, Wash.) hit 6-of-9 shots from the field as he scored a career-high 13 points, while Manroop Clair (Vancouver, B.C.) hit four three-pointers for 12 points. Brendan Westendorf (Auburn, Wash.) contributed 11 points and seven assists, and William Powell (Huntsville, Ala.) added 10 points and five rebounds to the winning effort.
“The guys just played hard tonight and gave a good effort all the way around. We took care of the ball offensively and did a good job, especially in the first half, of getting after them (UTRGV) on the defensive end. Overall, I am very pleased with tonight’s game,” Seattle U head coach Cameron Dollar said.
UT Rio Grande Valley (6-15, 2-4 WAC) went on an 8-2 scoring run early in the first half, including three-pointers by Antonio Green and JJ Thompson, to take a 12-8 lead. Seattle U responded, scoring nine unanswered points, five of them by Aaron Menzies (Manchester, England), to pull ahead, 17-12, with 10:52 remaining in the first half.
The Vaqueros put together their own stretch of eight straight points, capped by three-pointers from Ot Elmore and Thompson, to retake the lead at 23-19. The Redhawks came right back, closing the first half with a 13-4 scoring run, punctuated by three straight three-pointers from Clair, to take a 32-27 lead into the locker room at halftime.
UTRGV closed to within three points three different times in the first five minutes of the second half, but Seattle U went on a 12-4 scoring run over the next five minutes, with Westendorf scoring half of those points, to extend its lead to 54-43 halfway through the second half. A jumper by Thompson closed the Vaquero deficit to seven at 62-55 with 4:17 left in regulation, but the Redhawks scored six straight points, capped by a dunk from Powell, to put the game away.
Thompson and Dakota Slaughter scored 14 points apiece to lead the Vaqueros, followed by Shaquille Hines with 13 points and eight rebounds. Green finished with 11 points and five rebounds, but he shot just 3-of-14 from behind the three-point line, and Dan Kimasa was held to two points on 1-of-7 shooting from the field.
As a team, Seattle U shot 50.9 percent (28-of-55) from the field, including 5-of-12 from behind the three-point line, and 75 percent (9-of-12) from the free throw line. The Redhawks won the rebounding battle, 35-30, and earned 20 assists while committing just five turnovers, the fewest since Feb. 28, 2009, at South Dakota.
Seattle University (8-11, 2-3 WAC) hits the road next weekend to face Utah Valley Thursday, Jan. 28, and Grand Canyon Saturday, Jan. 30, with both games starting at 7 p.m. local time (6 p.m. Pacific time). Dave Grosby and Gary Hill Jr. will broadcast the games live on 770 AM KTTH, starting with the pregame show shortly before tipoff.