Paced by career-high scoring performances from Brendan Westendorf (Kent, Wash.) and Jadon Cohee (Langley, B.C.), as well as tough defense that forced turnovers and missed shots, Seattle University advanced to the semifinals of the 2016 Western Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament for the second straight year with a 75-52 victory over UT Rio Grande Valley Thursday night at the Orleans Arena.
Westendorf shot 8-of-14 from the field as he finished with 23 points, three rebounds, four assists, and five steals, while Cohee came off the bench and hit 6-of-11 shots from the field as well as 5-of-5 shots from the free throw line for 19 points, plus he pulled down four rebounds and dished out three assists. William Powell (Huntsville, Ala.) nearly notched another double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds, and Jack Crook (Manchester, England) added seven points, all in the second half, to help the Redhawks pull away with the victory.
“Our guys were excited to get going, and they did an excellent job of setting the tone. Even when we weren’t scoring early in the game, we played the right way. Over the course of time, it kicked in and we started scoring. We did a really good job defensively and knocked down our free throws, but really just played with a lot of poise and consistency throughout the game,” Seattle U head coach Cameron Dollar said.
UT Rio Grande Valley (8-22) took an early 9-4 lead four-and-a-half minutes into the game on a three-pointer by Dakota Slaughter. After a layup by Everett Osborne nine minutes into the first half extended the Vaquero lead to 16-8, the Redhawks scored nine unanswered points, punctuated by three-pointers from Manroop Clair (Vancouver, B.C.) and Jake Spurgeon (Sherwood, Ore.).
Shaquille Hines scored five straight points on two free throws and a three-pointer to allow the Vaqueros to retake the lead at 28-24. After Dan Kimasa made two free throws, Seattle U held UTRGV scoreless for the final two minutes of the first half, plus Powell made three free throws and Westendorf hit a three-pointer to give the Redhawks a 34-30 lead at halftime.
After an Antonio Green three-pointer brought the Vaqueros back within four early in the second half, the Redhawks scored eight unanswered points, as Cohee hit all three free throws after being fouled attempting a long-distance shot and Spurgeon hit his second three-pointer of the game. UTRGV would get as close as eight points halfway through the second half, but Seattle U put the game away with a 21-5 scoring run, holding the Vaqueros to just two made field goals the rest of the way.
Kimasa led the Vaqueros with 14 points, nine rebounds, and three steals, but he was the only UTRGV player to reach double figures in scoring. The Vaqueros shot just 34.6 percent (18-of-52) from the field, including 7-of-26 from behind the three-point line, and 52.9 percent (9-of-17) from the free throw line, offsetting a 37-34 rebounding edge.
As a team, Seattle U shot 47.1 percent (24-of-51) from the field, including 6-of-13 from behind the three-point line, and 75.0 percent (21-of-28) from the free throw line. The Redhawks scored 22 points off 16 UTRGV turnovers while committing just 10 turnovers of their own.
Seattle University (14-15) faces CSU Bakersfield in the semifinals of the 2016 WAC Men’s Basketball Tournament Friday, March 11, at 8:30 p.m. The game will be streamed by the WAC Digital Network, plus it will be broadcast on 770 AM KTTH, with Dave Grosby and Gary Hill Jr. providing the play-by-play descriptions live from courtside, starting with the pregame show shortly before tipoff.