LONG BEACH, Calif. – Seattle U used a late second-half rally to turn a double-digit deficit into a tie ball game, 72-72, with 2:41 to play against Long Beach State on Sunday afternoon. But the Beach would outscore the Redhawks 8-5 down the stretch in a thrilling 80-75 final at Walter Pyramid.
The game moves Seattle U to an even 3-3 on the season and concludes a 12-day, six-game swing away from Seattle. The Beach move to 1-1 on the season with their first home win.
"I thought to score 75 points on the last day of a long road trip showed a lot of character of our guys," said Head Coach Jim Hayford. "We just weren't where we needed to be defensively today. But give Long Beach State credit, they have some really good players that we weren't able to defense well enough."
Darrion Trammell led all scorers with a career-high 32 points on 10-of-24 from the field, including 5-of-10 from three, and 7-of-8 from the charity stripe. Riley Grigsby added 24 points, including 6-of-7 from deep. No other Redhawk managed more than seven points in the game.
"Riley and Darrion played really, really well today," Hayford said of the duo. "We need to the supporting cast to step up and join them. When we put it all together we'll have a team that's on the other side of these close games."
The first half was an offensive struggle as Seattle U manage just nine field goals, six from beyond the arc. The Beach, meanwhile, enjoyed a strong first half in their home opener, making good on 45 percent from the field while also earning a 26-14 advantage on the boards.
The Redhawks began to turn things around as the first half concluded, hitting three of their final four three-point attempts - two by Trammell and one by Grigsby - to close out the period.
Long Beach State would open up its first double-digit lead of the game midway through the second as two Joe Hampton free throws made it 58-46 in favor of the home team with 9:28 to play. But Seattle U would put together a 9-1 run capped by a Trammell three to pull within four, 59-55.
A 9-4 spurt made it a one-possession game, 72-69 before Trammell was fouled shooting a straightaway three. Out of the media timeout with 2:41 to play, he sank all three free throws to tie the game at 72-all.
Bu the Beath would answer with an Isaiah Washington three to reclaim the lead. Washington would hit one of two free throws to push the spread to four, 76-72, with 25 ticks remaining. Trammell would hit one more three to trim it to one, but the Beach sank 4-of-6 from the stripe in the final 16 seconds to seal the game.
"This was a great trip with a lot of positives," Hayford said. " To go 3-3 and finish on the last day in a very competitive game against a talented Long Beach State team gave us what we were looking for on this trip, which was games and an opportunity to learn more about our team."
The Redhawks return to Seattle for the remainder of their non-conference slate, beginning Wednesday, Dec. 9 at Washington. Tip off from Alaska Airlines Arena is set for 8 p.m.
The game moves Seattle U to an even 3-3 on the season and concludes a 12-day, six-game swing away from Seattle. The Beach move to 1-1 on the season with their first home win.
"I thought to score 75 points on the last day of a long road trip showed a lot of character of our guys," said Head Coach Jim Hayford. "We just weren't where we needed to be defensively today. But give Long Beach State credit, they have some really good players that we weren't able to defense well enough."
Darrion Trammell led all scorers with a career-high 32 points on 10-of-24 from the field, including 5-of-10 from three, and 7-of-8 from the charity stripe. Riley Grigsby added 24 points, including 6-of-7 from deep. No other Redhawk managed more than seven points in the game.
"Riley and Darrion played really, really well today," Hayford said of the duo. "We need to the supporting cast to step up and join them. When we put it all together we'll have a team that's on the other side of these close games."
The first half was an offensive struggle as Seattle U manage just nine field goals, six from beyond the arc. The Beach, meanwhile, enjoyed a strong first half in their home opener, making good on 45 percent from the field while also earning a 26-14 advantage on the boards.
The Redhawks began to turn things around as the first half concluded, hitting three of their final four three-point attempts - two by Trammell and one by Grigsby - to close out the period.
Long Beach State would open up its first double-digit lead of the game midway through the second as two Joe Hampton free throws made it 58-46 in favor of the home team with 9:28 to play. But Seattle U would put together a 9-1 run capped by a Trammell three to pull within four, 59-55.
A 9-4 spurt made it a one-possession game, 72-69 before Trammell was fouled shooting a straightaway three. Out of the media timeout with 2:41 to play, he sank all three free throws to tie the game at 72-all.
Bu the Beath would answer with an Isaiah Washington three to reclaim the lead. Washington would hit one of two free throws to push the spread to four, 76-72, with 25 ticks remaining. Trammell would hit one more three to trim it to one, but the Beach sank 4-of-6 from the stripe in the final 16 seconds to seal the game.
"This was a great trip with a lot of positives," Hayford said. " To go 3-3 and finish on the last day in a very competitive game against a talented Long Beach State team gave us what we were looking for on this trip, which was games and an opportunity to learn more about our team."
The Redhawks return to Seattle for the remainder of their non-conference slate, beginning Wednesday, Dec. 9 at Washington. Tip off from Alaska Airlines Arena is set for 8 p.m.