SEATTLE – Seattle University women's basketball rolled to an 86-54 win over Tarleton State in its Western Athletic Conference (WAC) home opener Friday afternoon. SU (5-7, 1-2 WAC) held the Texans to 28 percent field-goal shooting in the victory at the Redhawk Center.
"In the first half, we were dialed in (defensively)," said Coach Suzy Barcomb. "We forced them to take challenging shots and that worked well for us. We could go the other way off a missed basket and use our speed."
Both teams looked to push the pace in the first frame. Bree Calhoun consistently penetrated the lane and created for herself and others. Chinwe Ezeonu scored first and then Calhoun drove and finished. Irena Korolenko scored and Calhoun followed with another layup. Calhoun assisted on a Korolenko hoop and then scored herself as SU pulled within 13-12 at the 4:35 mark. A Williams three, set up by Calhoun, put the Redhawks ahead before Calhoun finished in the paint again for a 17-13 advantage through 10 minutes.
The SU defense stood tall in the second period, using its combination of speed and length to bother the Texans into missed shots. Tarleton scored first in the quarter, but then went nearly five minutes with scoring again. Calhoun made another bucket and then Georgia Kehoe scored inside. Free throws by Williams and an Ezeonu lay-in expanded the margin to 26-15 at the 4:42 mark. The visitors finally scored after that, but Williams sank a pair of foul shots and then Hailey Vice-Neat swished triples on consecutive possessions for a 34-17 lead with 2:45 to go in the half. The Texans scored next, but Peyton Howard and Kehoe each hit layups to pull away and then Kehoe dazzled with an open-floor Euro-step layup to make it 40-20 at halftime.
In the third quarter, the Redhawks were even better, hitting 9-12 shots from the floor on their way to 27 points. Williams hit a trey to open second-half scoring. Korolenko nailed a three and then Williams scored inside with 7:17 showing on the clock. Williams swished another three-ball and then Vice-Neat got rolling with a cutting layup and a straight-on trey as the lead ballooned to 56-29.
Later, three Vice-Neat free throws and two Makenna Schoenhofer foul shots gave the hosts a 26-point lead. In the closing moments of the frame, Kehoe, Williams, and Calhoun each scored in the paint to make it 67-39 with 10 minutes remaining.
Korolenko sank a three to spark a 15-0 run midway the fourth quarter. Williams, Vice-Neat, and Schoenhofer each made treys in the burst as SU was able to showcase its depth in the closing minutes.
All told, SU shot 56 percent from the field, including 11-21 shooting from long range. It held a 36-19 advantage on the glass and outscored the Texans, 19-2, on the fast break.
Williams finished with 20 points on 6-8 shooting, including 4-6 from long range. She also grabbed seven rebounds. Vice-Neat came off the bench to score 17 points on 5-7 shooting, as she hit 4-5 treys. Calhoun posted 14 points on 7-9 accuracy to go with eight assists and three steals. Kehoe put up 10 points, five boards, four blocks, and three steals. Korolenko contributed 10 points and four rebounds.
SU hosts Tarleton again tomorrow. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. at the Redhawk Center.
"In the first half, we were dialed in (defensively)," said Coach Suzy Barcomb. "We forced them to take challenging shots and that worked well for us. We could go the other way off a missed basket and use our speed."
Both teams looked to push the pace in the first frame. Bree Calhoun consistently penetrated the lane and created for herself and others. Chinwe Ezeonu scored first and then Calhoun drove and finished. Irena Korolenko scored and Calhoun followed with another layup. Calhoun assisted on a Korolenko hoop and then scored herself as SU pulled within 13-12 at the 4:35 mark. A Williams three, set up by Calhoun, put the Redhawks ahead before Calhoun finished in the paint again for a 17-13 advantage through 10 minutes.
The SU defense stood tall in the second period, using its combination of speed and length to bother the Texans into missed shots. Tarleton scored first in the quarter, but then went nearly five minutes with scoring again. Calhoun made another bucket and then Georgia Kehoe scored inside. Free throws by Williams and an Ezeonu lay-in expanded the margin to 26-15 at the 4:42 mark. The visitors finally scored after that, but Williams sank a pair of foul shots and then Hailey Vice-Neat swished triples on consecutive possessions for a 34-17 lead with 2:45 to go in the half. The Texans scored next, but Peyton Howard and Kehoe each hit layups to pull away and then Kehoe dazzled with an open-floor Euro-step layup to make it 40-20 at halftime.
In the third quarter, the Redhawks were even better, hitting 9-12 shots from the floor on their way to 27 points. Williams hit a trey to open second-half scoring. Korolenko nailed a three and then Williams scored inside with 7:17 showing on the clock. Williams swished another three-ball and then Vice-Neat got rolling with a cutting layup and a straight-on trey as the lead ballooned to 56-29.
Later, three Vice-Neat free throws and two Makenna Schoenhofer foul shots gave the hosts a 26-point lead. In the closing moments of the frame, Kehoe, Williams, and Calhoun each scored in the paint to make it 67-39 with 10 minutes remaining.
Korolenko sank a three to spark a 15-0 run midway the fourth quarter. Williams, Vice-Neat, and Schoenhofer each made treys in the burst as SU was able to showcase its depth in the closing minutes.
All told, SU shot 56 percent from the field, including 11-21 shooting from long range. It held a 36-19 advantage on the glass and outscored the Texans, 19-2, on the fast break.
Williams finished with 20 points on 6-8 shooting, including 4-6 from long range. She also grabbed seven rebounds. Vice-Neat came off the bench to score 17 points on 5-7 shooting, as she hit 4-5 treys. Calhoun posted 14 points on 7-9 accuracy to go with eight assists and three steals. Kehoe put up 10 points, five boards, four blocks, and three steals. Korolenko contributed 10 points and four rebounds.
SU hosts Tarleton again tomorrow. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. at the Redhawk Center.