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GAMEDAY: MBB vs. Grand Canyon

SEATTLE – Seattle U men's basketball (9-8, 2-3 WAC) returns to action this week, hosting Grand Canyon (13-4, 7-1 WAC) for a pair of Western Athletic Conference games. The Redhawks and Lopes will face off inside the Redhawk Center on Friday, Feb. 26 and Saturday, Feb. 27. Tip-off each night is set for 6 p.m. Pacific. The game will stream live on ESPN+ and can be heard live on KTTH 770 AM and mynorthwest.com. Gameday presenting sponsor is Alaska Airlines.

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GAMEDAY: MBB vs. Grand CanyonGAMEDAY: MBB vs. Grand Canyon
Sarah Finney

SEATTLE – Seattle U men's basketball (9-8, 2-3 WAC) returns to action this week, hosting league-leader Grand Canyon (13-4, 7-1 WAC) for a pair of Western Athletic Conference games. The Redhawks and Lopes will face off inside the Redhawk Center on Friday, Feb. 26 and Saturday, Feb. 27. Tip-off each night is set for 6 p.m. Pacific. The game will stream live on ESPN+ and can be heard live on KTTH 770 AM and mynorthwest.com. Gameday presenting sponsor is Alaska Airlines.

FOLLOW THE REDHAWKS

QUICK HITS

  • After sailing smoothly through non-conference play, getting 12 games under their belts, the Redhawks have had seven of 12 scheduled Western Athletic Conference games canceled due to a variety of reasons.
  • Most recently, Seattle U's two-game series at UTRGV was canceled due travel issues caused by inclement weather in the state of Texas.
  • The Redhawks' last outing was a Feb. 12 and Feb. 13 series against NM State in the Redhawk Center. The teams split the series, 1-1.
  • Seattle U toppled NM State for just the fourth time in program history on Feb. 12, shooting the lights out in an 83-72 final.
  • The Redhawk win snapped a five-game Aggie win streak in the series with Seattle U's last victory coming on Feb. 17, 2018 at KeyArena.
  • The Redhawks shot 51.7% from the field in the win, a season-high against DI opponents. They also shot a season-best 50% (13-26) from deep with the 13 threes matching the season's best.
  • Four players scored in double figures led by Darrion Trammell's 22 points. Aaron Nettles and Emeka Udenyi added 12 points each while Riley Grigsby chipped in 10 points in his return to the lineup.
  • NM State would even the weekend series 1-1 on Feb. 13 with a 65-58 win over the Redhawks.

ABOUT THE SERIES VS GRAND CANYON
This with be the 17th all-time meeting between Seattle U and Grand Canyon, with the Lopes holding a 13-3 advantage in the series. The teams have split the season series over the past two years, each winning on their home court. The Redhawks thus hold a two-game streak at the Redhawk Center.

GCU won the first meeting in 2019-20 – an 80-77 decision in Phoenix. Terrell Brown had a game-high 31 points, Delante Jones added 19 and Morgan Means chipped in 10. Seattle U responded in kind with a 95-89 victory in Seattle on Feb. 20, 2020. Brown poured in 31 points yet again, Riley Grigsby had 23 and four total Redhawks scored in double figures.

In 2018-19, the teams split the home-and-home series, which helped set up a first-round meeting at the WAC Tournament in Las Vegas. The Lopes won the first meeting of 2018-19 - a 71-57 final at GCU Arena on Jan. 5, 2019.  In the regular-season finale on March 9, 2019, the Redhawks snapped a five-game GCU win streak in the series with a huge 83-76 overtime victory. GCU would go on to prevail in Las Vegas, claiming an 84-75 win.

The Redhawks' first win in the series came on Jan. 30, 2016, a 59-57 victory in GCU Arena. SU rallied from a seven-point halftime deficit and outscored the Lopes 31-22 in the second half.

TAKING CARE OF THE ROCK
For a second consecutive season, the Redhawks are among the nation's best in taking care of the basketball. In games played through Feb. 22, Seattle U ranks No. 8 nationally in turnover margin (4.9) and 15th in turnovers per game (10.6). In eight of 17 games this year, they have kept giveaways to single digits. Last season, the Redhawks finished second nationally in fewest turnovers, and eighth in fewest turnovers per game (10.2).

PSA: TRAMMELL DOES IT ALL

  • Sophomore Darrion Trammell ranks 36th in the nation and first in the WAC in points (19.6 per game), second in the WAC in assists (5.5 per game) and second in the WAC in steals (2.0 per game). The 5-10 guard also adds 3.9 rebounds per game and shoots 84% from the free-throw line.
  • His 5.5 assists per game rank 29th nationally in games played through Feb. 22 and his 2.0 steals per game rank 41st.
  • In WAC play, Trammell is putting up 24.8 ppg while also leading the way with 3.0 three-pointers per game.
  • Trammell has one double-double to his name this year – a 25-point, 13-assist outpouring on Dec. 30 versus Portland.
  • He has scored in double figures in 15 of 17 games, has surpassed 20 points on seven occasions and has three games with 30 points or more. He has also dished five assists or more in 11 of 17 outings.

ONE-TWO PUNCH

  • Sophomore Darrion Trammell and junior Riley Grigsby rank 1-2 among all WAC players in scoring. Trammell averages 19.6 ppg while Grigsby adds 18.0 ppg for the Redhawks.
  • Trammell also leads the WAC at a 24.8 ppg clip in conference play.
  • One or the other has led Seattle U in scoring in all but one game this season.
  • Grigsby has seven games with 20 or more points, including a career-high 28 points at Portland on Nov. 25 and four consecutive 20+ point games entering the weekend series at Dixie State.
  • Trammell has surpassed the 20 point marker seven times, including a career-high 32 points at Long Beach State on Dec. 6. The first-year Redhawk most recently had 22 and 16 points on back-to-back nights against NM State.

NETTLES FOR THREE
Aaron Nettles hit a combined five three-pointers in the two games vs. NM State, moving his career total to 110 as a Redhawk. He now sits just 19 three's shy of staking a claim in the Seattle U all-time top-10 list. Bernard Seals (2002-06) currently holds the No. 10 spot with 129 career triples.

TRAMMELL NAMED WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK X2
Darrion Trammell was named TicketSmarter WAC Player of the Week for February 1-7. The sophomore guard from Marin City, Calif., posted back-to-back 30-point games in a road split at Dixie State. He shot .500 from the field, .571 from three-point range and .769 on free throws to lead the Redhawk offensive effort.  Trammell was also named TicketSmarter WAC Player of the Week for Dec. 28-Jan. 3. He helped Seattle U end 2020 on a high note, scoring 25 points to go with 13 assists in an 84-68 win over Portland, the second win over the Pilots this season. His points and assists led to Trammell having a hand in 53 of the Redhawks' 84 points on the night. He also added three rebounds, one steal and one block.

GRIGSBY NAMED WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Riley Grigsby was named TicketSmarter WAC Player of the Week for Nov. 23-29. This marks Grigsby's first career Player of the Week honor. The junior guard/forward from San Jose, Calif., averaged 18.3 points per game to lead the Redhawks to their first 3-0 start since the 2008-09 season. He opened the season with a career-high 28 points in an 84-72 win at Portland, adding six rebounds, four assists and two blocks against the Pilots. Against William Jessup, he had 14 points to go along with four rebounds, two assists and two steals. Continuing the road trip from Portland to Las Vegas, Grigsby scored 13 points with three assists and a block in a 63-45 win over Air Force.

REDHAWK RUNDOWN

  • The 98 point scored against Saint Martin's on Jan. 9 was the most points scored by the Redhawks since Feb. 20, 2020 when they defeated Grand Canyon, 95-89.
  • Jared Pearre added four blocks to his 18-point, 10-rebound double-double against Portland on Dec. 30 in his biggest performance of the season thus far. His 18 points were his highest as a Redhawk and one point off his all-time career-high set during his time at CSUN.
  • The win over Portland on Dec. 30 marked Seattle U's fifth consecutive home victory, stretching back to Feb. 20, 2020 when the streak began with a 95-89 win over Grand Canyon.
  • The home-and-home sweep of the Pilots moves Seattle U to 5-0 against its Pacific Northwest rival since Head Coach Jim Hayford took over the Redhawk reigns.
  • Seattle U's home opening win over Northwest on Dec. 13 was the latest home opener date since 1988-89 when Seattle U played its first 10 games on the road and did not host a home game until Jan. 6, 1989.
  • The 40 points allowed by Northwest on Dec. 13 is the least allowed by a Redhawks squad since Dec. 17, 2015 when they earned a 98-36 win over Northwest Indian College.
  • Seattle U opened the season with three consecutive wins for the first time since the 2008-09 season.
  • The Redhawks picked up wins over WCC member Portland, NAIA William Jessup and Mountain West member Air Force in that stretch.
  • Seattle U's 41 points at UW on Dec. 9 was the fewest points scored since a 59-44 loss at UTRGV on Feb. 14, 2019. It also marks the fewest points scored in a game during Jim Hayford's tenure.
  • This marks the third time in Head Coach Jim Hayford's four years at Seattle U that the Redhawks have played at lease a trio of Pac-12 opponents in a single season. The Redhawks are 2-10 against the conference during the span. The 2018-19 season brought both of those wins as Seattle U topped both Washington State and Cal, finishing 2-2 against the Pac-12 that year. In 2020-21, the Redhawks went 0-3 with losses at UCLA, Washington and Cal.
  • Sophomore Darrion Trammell had a career-high 32 points in the loss at Long Beach State on Dec. 6. The game also marked his first start of the year.
  • Riley Grigsby poured in six three pointers on his way to 24 points at Long Beach State on Dec. 6. The six threes were a career-high and the most threes made in a game since Matej Kavas drained six on Dec. 23, 2017 against Nicholls State.
  • Nate Robinson made his first appearance of the season on Dec. 3 at UCLA after missing the first four games due to a toe injury. The junior guard had two points, one rebound and one block in nine minutes of action.
  • Junior Rip Economou drained four threes on Nov. 29 against Air Force on Nov. 29, notching a career-high 12 points.
  • The Redhawks won their season opener for a second straight year, this time with an 84-72 victory over Portland on Nov. 25.
  • The win over Portland was the fourth straight for Seattle U. The teams have met during each of the past four years and are set to meet again later this season.
  • Riley Grigsby poured in a career-high 28 points in the season debut versus Portland. His performance over the first three games earned him WAC Player of the Week honors.
  • Freshman Kobe Williamson had an impressive collegiate debut with 10 points and nine boards against Portland. He is the first freshman to start a season opener since Morgan Means did so in 2016-17. Means finished with five points, three rebounds and three assists in that outing.

OVERTIME

  • Seattle U is 5-4 in overtime games under Head Coach Jim Hayford.
  • The Redhawks played their first overtime game of 2020-21 on Jan. 15, 2021, suffering a 93-92 setback to Utah Valley.
  • The Redhawks went 1-2 in extra time during the 2019-20 season, including an 88-87 loss at California Baptist on Feb. 29, 2020, which ultimately ended up being the final game of the shortened season.
  • Seattle U also played triple overtime affair at Kansas City on Jan. 2, 2020, the longest game the Redhawks had played since a triple overtime defeat to Chicago State on Feb. 27, 2014.

HITTING THE CENTURY MARK
The Redhawks surpassed the 100-point mark for the fifth time under Head Coach Jim Hayford with their 115-81 win over Pacific University on Nov. 12, 2019. They achieved the feat twice during his first season (121 vs. Puget Sound on Nov. 12, 2017;  102 vs. Detroit Mercy on Nov. 18, 2017) and twice in 2018-19 (107 vs. Northwest University on Nov. 28, 2018; 102 vs. Prairie View A&M on Dec. 20, 2018).

HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
Seattle U has compiled a 247-155 (.617) record in the Redhawk Center, including a 15-game winning streak that began Nov. 5, 2008 with a perfect 10-0 mark during the 2008-09 season. In 2017-18, the Redhawks went 9-1, in 2018-19, the Redhawks went 12-6 and in 2019-20 they were 9-3. So far in 2020-21, the Redhawks are 5-2.

WAC HOME GAMES TO STREAM LIVE ON ESPN+
Beginning with the start of WAC play January 15-16, Seattle U men's basketball home games will be streamed exclusively on ESPN+. The move to the ESPN platform provides the Redhawks with enhanced national exposure, adds talking points for recruiting and provides value-add for Seattle U partners. Seattle U's presence on the ESPN+ platform is not new. The Redhawks have previously been featured in select WAC Games of the Week. The WAC Men's and Women's Basketball Tournaments are also carried ESPN+ with the men's championship game broadcast on ESPNU. Numerous conference and non-conference opponents also stream games onto the ever-growing digital platform. ESPN+ content is available to stream in HD through the ESPN app on numerous connected devices (Apple, Android, and Amazon Fire devices, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, Chromecast, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Oculus Go) and on ESPN.com. A television subscription through a cable, satellite or digital provider with access to ESPN's traditional TV networks does not include access to ESPN+. As access to ESPN+ remains unavailable outside the US, international fans will continue to be able to watch games via the WAC Digital Network.

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