SEATTLE – Three Redhawks tallied double-doubles as Seattle U men's basketball completed a home-and-home season sweep of the University of Portland with an 84-68 win over the visiting Pilots Wednesday night in the Redhawk Center.
The Redhawks improve to 6-5 on the season and a perfect 3-0 at home. Portland dropped to 6-3 overall in their final non-conference game of the season.
As both teams shook off a bit of Christmas break rust, neither side would lead by more than a possession for the better part of the first half. With the score tied at 19-19, Trey Hopkins came off the bench to drain a three, Darrion Trammell scored on a layup, then dished to a breaking Kobe Williamson for a dunk in transition and the Redhawks forced a Portland timeout with 6:21 remaining in the half.
Five straight points by Riley Grigsby in the final minute give the Redhawks their first double-digit lead, 41-29, before a Pilot three by Latrell Jones sent the teams into the locker room with a nine-point spread, 41-32.
Grigsby continued the streak to open the second, knocking down back-to-back triples for a 47-34 Seattle U advantage. But Portland would make things interesting, piecing together a 13-3 run, including 10 straight, making it a one-possession game, 50-47, with 14:52 remaining.
The Redhawks found their answer with great ball movement and an inside-outside game. Emeka Udenyi and Jared Pearre scored back-to-back in the paint and Grigsby followed with his third three. Five straight from Trammell opened back up a 13-point advantage and the Pilots would get no closer than seven as Seattle U turned it on down the stretch.
"We had guys step into their roles and we shot the ball really well in the second half which led to the offense being more balanced," said Head Coach Jim Hayford. "We made threes which opened up some ball-screen offense and we shared the ball well. You put that together with a solid defensive effort and you end up with a 16-point win."
Trammell led all scorers with 25 points while adding 13 assists. Grigsby finished with 22 points, 10 rebounds and four assists while Pearre poured in 18 points, including 14 in the second half, to go along with 10 boards and four blocks.
"Those were three big, big performances, and it was great to get Aaron back," Hayford said. "And we showed our character when that lead shrunk and then to answer it and put together two more runs was really special."
Nettles, who made his first appearance since Dec. 9 at UW, scored the Redhawks first bucket of the game and finished with three points. Seattle U also got 11 rebounds from Udenyi on its way to a 47-34 advantage on the boards.
Portland was paced by Ahmed Ali's 19 points. Jones added 17 and Isiah Dasher had 12.
Western Athletic Conference play begins for Seattle U on Jan. 15-16 as the Redhawks host Utah Valley. For the most up-to-date schedule information, continue to check the men's basketball schedule page at GoSeattleU.com.
The Redhawks improve to 6-5 on the season and a perfect 3-0 at home. Portland dropped to 6-3 overall in their final non-conference game of the season.
As both teams shook off a bit of Christmas break rust, neither side would lead by more than a possession for the better part of the first half. With the score tied at 19-19, Trey Hopkins came off the bench to drain a three, Darrion Trammell scored on a layup, then dished to a breaking Kobe Williamson for a dunk in transition and the Redhawks forced a Portland timeout with 6:21 remaining in the half.
Five straight points by Riley Grigsby in the final minute give the Redhawks their first double-digit lead, 41-29, before a Pilot three by Latrell Jones sent the teams into the locker room with a nine-point spread, 41-32.
Grigsby continued the streak to open the second, knocking down back-to-back triples for a 47-34 Seattle U advantage. But Portland would make things interesting, piecing together a 13-3 run, including 10 straight, making it a one-possession game, 50-47, with 14:52 remaining.
The Redhawks found their answer with great ball movement and an inside-outside game. Emeka Udenyi and Jared Pearre scored back-to-back in the paint and Grigsby followed with his third three. Five straight from Trammell opened back up a 13-point advantage and the Pilots would get no closer than seven as Seattle U turned it on down the stretch.
"We had guys step into their roles and we shot the ball really well in the second half which led to the offense being more balanced," said Head Coach Jim Hayford. "We made threes which opened up some ball-screen offense and we shared the ball well. You put that together with a solid defensive effort and you end up with a 16-point win."
Trammell led all scorers with 25 points while adding 13 assists. Grigsby finished with 22 points, 10 rebounds and four assists while Pearre poured in 18 points, including 14 in the second half, to go along with 10 boards and four blocks.
"Those were three big, big performances, and it was great to get Aaron back," Hayford said. "And we showed our character when that lead shrunk and then to answer it and put together two more runs was really special."
Nettles, who made his first appearance since Dec. 9 at UW, scored the Redhawks first bucket of the game and finished with three points. Seattle U also got 11 rebounds from Udenyi on its way to a 47-34 advantage on the boards.
Portland was paced by Ahmed Ali's 19 points. Jones added 17 and Isiah Dasher had 12.
Western Athletic Conference play begins for Seattle U on Jan. 15-16 as the Redhawks host Utah Valley. For the most up-to-date schedule information, continue to check the men's basketball schedule page at GoSeattleU.com.
Comments from @CoachHayford following tonight's 84-68 win over Portland, marking a season sweep over the Pilots ??https://t.co/6kS3Y4a0Za
— Seattle U Men's Basketball (@seattleumbb) December 31, 2020