KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Seattle University women's basketball rallied late at Kansas City, but the Roos pulled out a 68-65 win on Sunday afternoon. The Redhawks have earned the seven seed in next week's Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Tournament with today's result at the Swinney Recreation Center.
"Genessa gave us a tremendous spark off the bench today," said Coach Suzy Barcomb. "She really got our offense moving. We dug ourselves a big hole in the first quarter, but managed to battle back in the next three and had a chance to force overtime late."
SU will play either Grand Canyon or Utah Valley in the first round of the WAC Tournament on Wednesday, March 11, at 6 p.m.
The Roos grabbed a 63-52 lead early in the fourth, but SU replied with a 9-0 spurt to get close. Chinwe Ezeonu made two foul shots and then set up a Joana Alves layup. Olivia Crawford pulled up and sank a jumper with 5:47 remaining. After a timeout, Hailey Vice-Neat drained a three from the top of the key to make it 63-61 at the 4:49 mark. The Roos scored next, but Kamira Sanders came back with a jumper. Kansas City scored again for a 67-63 difference and after two missed foul shots, Alves banked in a two-pointer with 48 seconds remaining. The Redhawks had two opportunities to tie it late, but couldn't score as the Roos escaped to close the regular season.
Sanders led with 17 points, securing the WAC scoring title for the season. She added five rebounds and three steals. Alves tallied 11 points and six rebounds, while Murphy made three three-pointers on her way to 11 points. Bedoya provided eight points and five assists in 15 minutes, while Chinwe Ezeonu pulled down 10 rebounds off the bench.
Both sides were sluggish to start, with an Crawford jumper marking SU's first points at the 6:57 mark of the opening quarter. The score was just 7-2 after five minutes of action. Georgia Kehoe followed her own miss with a bucket, but the hosts made a three for a 10-4 advantage with 3:57 showing on the clock.
Kansas City made two threes to stretch its margin before Alves hit two foul shots. Sanders swished a trey late in the frame, but the Roos answered with a three of their own to grab a 21-9 lead after a period.
In the second quarter, Alves and Sanders scored early, but Kansas City sank two three-balls to regain control. Bedoya checked in and provided a spark for the Redhawks, as the senior orchestrated the offense, finding Sanders for a layup and then penetrating for two points of her own. A Vice-Neat triple got SU within 31-23 with 2:11 to play in the half. Ericka Mattingly scored in the final minute for the home team, but Sanders swished a deep trey at the buzzer to pull the Redhawks within 36-26 at halftime.
Seattle U used strong three-point shooting to stay attached in the third period, but the Roos held off each SU charge. Crawford finished a three-point play and Sanders scored inside, but Kansas City answered for a 42-31 advantage. After another Roo hoop, Alves made a trey with 6:54 left in the frame. Murphy nailed two triples to make it a seven-point difference, but the hosts quickly went back ahead by 12. Bedoya and Sanders both hit from downtown and then Murphy swished again. Bedoya then beat the buzzer with her second three of the day, making it 61-52 after three quarters.
"Genessa gave us a tremendous spark off the bench today," said Coach Suzy Barcomb. "She really got our offense moving. We dug ourselves a big hole in the first quarter, but managed to battle back in the next three and had a chance to force overtime late."
SU will play either Grand Canyon or Utah Valley in the first round of the WAC Tournament on Wednesday, March 11, at 6 p.m.
The Roos grabbed a 63-52 lead early in the fourth, but SU replied with a 9-0 spurt to get close. Chinwe Ezeonu made two foul shots and then set up a Joana Alves layup. Olivia Crawford pulled up and sank a jumper with 5:47 remaining. After a timeout, Hailey Vice-Neat drained a three from the top of the key to make it 63-61 at the 4:49 mark. The Roos scored next, but Kamira Sanders came back with a jumper. Kansas City scored again for a 67-63 difference and after two missed foul shots, Alves banked in a two-pointer with 48 seconds remaining. The Redhawks had two opportunities to tie it late, but couldn't score as the Roos escaped to close the regular season.
Sanders led with 17 points, securing the WAC scoring title for the season. She added five rebounds and three steals. Alves tallied 11 points and six rebounds, while Murphy made three three-pointers on her way to 11 points. Bedoya provided eight points and five assists in 15 minutes, while Chinwe Ezeonu pulled down 10 rebounds off the bench.
Both sides were sluggish to start, with an Crawford jumper marking SU's first points at the 6:57 mark of the opening quarter. The score was just 7-2 after five minutes of action. Georgia Kehoe followed her own miss with a bucket, but the hosts made a three for a 10-4 advantage with 3:57 showing on the clock.
Kansas City made two threes to stretch its margin before Alves hit two foul shots. Sanders swished a trey late in the frame, but the Roos answered with a three of their own to grab a 21-9 lead after a period.
In the second quarter, Alves and Sanders scored early, but Kansas City sank two three-balls to regain control. Bedoya checked in and provided a spark for the Redhawks, as the senior orchestrated the offense, finding Sanders for a layup and then penetrating for two points of her own. A Vice-Neat triple got SU within 31-23 with 2:11 to play in the half. Ericka Mattingly scored in the final minute for the home team, but Sanders swished a deep trey at the buzzer to pull the Redhawks within 36-26 at halftime.
Seattle U used strong three-point shooting to stay attached in the third period, but the Roos held off each SU charge. Crawford finished a three-point play and Sanders scored inside, but Kansas City answered for a 42-31 advantage. After another Roo hoop, Alves made a trey with 6:54 left in the frame. Murphy nailed two triples to make it a seven-point difference, but the hosts quickly went back ahead by 12. Bedoya and Sanders both hit from downtown and then Murphy swished again. Bedoya then beat the buzzer with her second three of the day, making it 61-52 after three quarters.