SEATTLE – A stifling defensive showcase pushed Seattle University men's basketball to a 83-50 Western Athletic Conference victory over Utah Valley Saturday night at the Redhawk Center. Ten Redhawks added to the scoring column in a first half that gifted SU a 17-point halftime lead.
Riley Grisgby led the pack with 17 points and eight rebounds along with going 60 percent from beyond-the-arch. Terrell Brown and Delante Jones chipped in 12 and 13 points, respectively while adding to the 40-percent shooting from beyond-the-arch for the home team. The Redhawks canned 11 threes during tonight's contest, seven in the second half alone.
"Defensively, that was probably our best game of the year," said Head Coach Jim Hayford. "We were really locked in, played really well and came in prepared to guard their stuff."
The Redhawks (9-9, 2-1 WAC) started home conference play with a bang, coming out of the opening tip with a 10-1 run that gave SU early offensive confidence. Attacking the rim and finding success in the mid-range, Brown and Grigsby powered Seattle U to a 31-12 lead at the 4:32 mark in the first frame, combining for 16 points during the stretch.
On the opposite side of the floor, Seattle U dominated the visitors defensively. The Redhawks limited the Wolverines to 25 percent shooting and forced UVU into eleven turnovers in the first half alone. Seattle U closed out an impressive opening half with a 37-20 lead.
Grigsby got SU off hot in the second half, establishing a 5-0 spurt courtesy of a triple following a layup from Da Campo. The San Jose, Calif., native shot 3-5 from three-point land on the evening.
"Riley really stepped up," said Hayford. "It's how I expect him to play every night."
With the Wolverines (7-11, 1-2 WAC) overloading the block with every Myles Carter possession, the senior center kicked the ball out to Mattia Da Campo who contributed a gritty performance to break the Utah Valley zone – hitting 10-footers and willing his way to the rack to contribute five of his nine points on the night. Da Campo also hauled in a team-high eight rebounds, coming just shy of a double-double.
Seattle U returns to the Redhawk Center to keep the ball rolling for game two of a three-game conference homestand Thursday, Jan. 16 against UTRGV. Tip off is set at 7:00 pm.