SEATTLE – Seattle University women’s basketball held off Sacramento State, 88-84, as five Redhawks scored in double figures on Friday. Georgia Kehoe and Chinwe Ezeonu led SU with career days in front of 759 fans at the Redhawk Center.
“I think we listened to the game plan and stuck with it,” said Coach Suzy Barcomb. “We had to win the turnover battle today and withstand their shot-making. We answered their runs with solid runs of our own and that’s what we needed to do.”
With Sacramento State playing its typical frenetic style, the Redhawks got to play more in the open floor on Friday. Kamira Sanders scored the first points of the day, and after the visitors, the senior made a steal and went for a fast-break layup. A Joana Alves takeaway set up another Sanders hoop for a 6-5 edge with 5:05 left in the first period. Kehoe grabbed an offensive rebound and then scored to extend the margin and then Sanders assisted on a McKenzi Williams trey to make it 11-5 at the 2:33 mark. Another Kehoe layup made it 13-7 before a Hornet three-point play. Murphy concluded the frame with a three-pointer for a 16-10 difference after 10 minutes.
SU looked to pull away early in the second period, as Murphy sank a pair of triples for a 22-10 advantage. The visitors answered with eight straight points, though, before a Kehoe layup slowed the run. Sacramento State tied it up at 24, but a Kehoe putback gave the Redhawks the lead again. A Ezeonu bucket made it 29-26 with 3:38 left in the half, but the Hornets gained the lead before Murphy came up big to finish the period. The sophomore made two foul shots and then swished her fourth trey of the half as SU went into halftime with a 34-33 lead.
Alves opened SU’s second-half scoring and then Sanders scored on a layup. After Sacramento State took a lead, Ezeonu scored inside. Another Murphy three made it 45-all with 6:43 showing on the clock. Ezeonu scored again and then Kehoe made 5-6 foul shots for a 52-48 Redhawk edge. After a Hornet hoop, Sarah Rahon sank a trey. Ezeonu scored twice in the paint, including a three-point play for a 60-50 margin with 2:08 to go in the quarter. Another Ezeonu basket gave SU breathing room as it took a 65-56 lead into the fourth.
Olivia Crawford stretched the lead to start the final frame and then Ezeonu continued her stellar play with a lay-in for a 13-point margin. Kehoe converted a three-point play and Seattle U hit 9-11 foul shots to keep the Hornets at bay.
Sanders tallied 18 points, seven assists, and six rebounds in 36 minutes. Murphy put up 17 points, hitting five treys, to go with five boards. Kehoe recorded 16 points and seven rebounds, while Ezeonu claimed 15 points and eight boards, including five offensive rebounds. Williams added 10 points and five rebounds. Defensively, SU held the Hornets to 9-34 shooting from downtown on the day.
The game featured 66 free throws and 50 fouls.
The Redhawks host Long Beach State on Sunday. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m. at the Redhawk Center.