In a tale of two halves, Seattle University used its defense in the first half and its offense in the second half to defeat the University of Idaho, 68-63, Wednesday night in the first round of the 2016 College Basketball Invitational at the Connolly Complex North Court.
Idaho (21-13) scored the first four points on jumpers by Arkadiy Mkrtychyan and Nate Sherwood, and then went ahead 9-2 eight minutes into the first half on a basket by Perrion Callandret. Jadon Cohee (Langley, B.C.) came off the bench and hit two three-pointers sandwiched around a jumper to give the Redhawks a 12-9 advantage.
Callandret hit a three-pointer with less than four minutes remaining in the first half to put Idaho back on top, 18-14, but Seattle U would close out the half on an 8-1 scoring run, featuring three-pointers by Zack Moore (Bellevue, Wash.) and Cohee. The Redhawks dominated the boards in the opening half, 21-12, including five offensive rebounds that led to eight second chance points.
After a jumper by William Powell (Huntsville, Ala.) extended the Seattle U lead to 27-23 early in the second half, Idaho went on a 9-2 scoring run, starting with four points from Nate Sherwood and featuring a three-pointer by Callandret, to pull ahead 32-29, but back-to-back three-pointers by Brendan Westendorf (Auburn, Wash.) gave the lead back to the Redhawks, 35-32.
Five unanswered points by Cohee gave Seattle U a 40-35 advantage, but the Vandals responded with six straight points on three free throws by Victor Sanders and a three-pointer by Callandret. After the two teams exchanged baskets, Seattle U took the lead for good on three-pointers by Moore and Westendorf, and then scored seven unanswered points later, all by Westendorf, to extend the lead into double figures.
“I thought it was big to close the (first) half well. It looked like one team was in finals week (Seattle U) and the other team was on the road for 10 days (Idaho). However, I think both teams came out after halftime and played well, more representative of how both teams are.” Seattle U head coach Cameron Dollar said.
Westendorf shot 8-of-14 from the field, including 4-of-5 from behind the three-point line, as he led the Redhawks with 21 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists, while Cohee finished with 18 points. Jack Crook (Manchester, England) contributed 12 points, seven rebounds, and two steals as he extended his collegiate career, and Powell added 11 points, five rebounds, and two assists.
Callandret led the Vandals with 18 points, followed by Mkrtychyan with 15 points, four rebounds, and three steals. As a team, Idaho shot 41.5 percent (22-of-53) from the field, including 6-of-19 from behind the three-point line, and 72.2 percent (13-of-18) from the free throw line.
Seattle U finished at 45.7 percent (21-of-46) from the field, including 10-of-19 from behind the three-point line, and 66.7 percent (16-of-24) from the free throw line. The Redhawks won the rebounding battle, 36-26, and took better care of the basketball after halftime, committing just four turnovers in the second half after turning the ball over 11 times in the first half.
Seattle University (15-16) hosts the University of Vermont in the quarterfinals of the College Basketball Invitational Monday, March 21, at 7 p.m. at the Connolly Complex. Another sellout is expected, so fans are encouraged to buy tickets online at http://bit.ly/CBIQT.