SEATTLE – Riley Grigsby and Darrion Trammell combined to score 35 of Seattle U's 45 second-half points, but the Redhawks could not complete the two-game sweep of Western Athletic Conference leader Grand Canyon as the Lopes evened the weekend of play with an 81-71 final Saturday at the Redhawk Center.
With the series split, the Redhawks move to 10-9 on the season and 3-4 in WAC play. GCU stay atop the standings at 14-5 overall and 8-2 in league action.
The game opened much like the previous night with defense reigning. Seattle U forced the Lopes into 13 first-half turnovers, but were unable to make a move on the giveaways, scoring just six points off those turnovers.
GCU began to find some offense late in the first frame. Grigsby hit two free throws with 3:15 remaining to give Seattle U a 21-20 lead. But the Lopes would go on to hit 5-of-7 from the field and close out the half on a 13-5 run for a 33-26 lead at the break.
The trend worsened for the Redhawks early in the second half as their own offensive struggles continued while GCU built on its lead.
The spread would balloon to 20, 61-41, with 9:19 to play before the Redhawk offense kicked in gear, courtesy Grigsby and Trammell. Trammell buried a deep three and Grigsby hit consecutive buckets in the paint to get things going.
With 5:22 to play, Trammell would knock down a three and-one for a rare four-point possession. With 2:31 remaining, Grigsby scored through contact, drawing the and-one free-throw opportunity. GCU's Asbjorn Midtgaard was also called for a technical after the play. Seattle U would convert all three free throws for a five-point possession and pull within six, 73-66, of the Lopes.
Grigsby's turnaround jumper with 1:16 to go brought the Redhawks within five, 73-68, but they would get no closer as Jovan Blacksher, Jr., knocked down six free throws down the stretch.
Trammell finished with a game high 28 points, including a perfect 11-of-11 from the charity stripe. Grigsby had 25 points on 10-of-20 shooting and 4-of-4 free throws. No other Redhawk reached double figures on the night.
GCU had four in double figures, paced by Blacksher, Jr.'s 17 points. Midtgaard added 16 points and 16 boards as the Lopes dominated on the glass, 42-21.
Seattle U closes out the regular season on the road next week, traveling to face California Baptist for a pair of WAC contests on Friday, March 5 and Saturday, March 6 in Riverside, Calif. Both games tip off at 6 p.m. with Friday's contest streaming live on ESPN+ and Saturday's regular-season finale being carried on the WAC Digital Network. The games can also be heard on KTTH 770 AM and mynorthwest.com.
Stay connected with Seattle U men's basketball and get all the latest team updates by downloading the GoSeattleU mobile app available now for free in the App Store or Google Play.
With the series split, the Redhawks move to 10-9 on the season and 3-4 in WAC play. GCU stay atop the standings at 14-5 overall and 8-2 in league action.
The game opened much like the previous night with defense reigning. Seattle U forced the Lopes into 13 first-half turnovers, but were unable to make a move on the giveaways, scoring just six points off those turnovers.
GCU began to find some offense late in the first frame. Grigsby hit two free throws with 3:15 remaining to give Seattle U a 21-20 lead. But the Lopes would go on to hit 5-of-7 from the field and close out the half on a 13-5 run for a 33-26 lead at the break.
Comments from @CoachHayford following tonight's home finale vs Grand Canyon: https://t.co/9A1uo4dCzT
— Seattle U Men's Basketball (@seattleumbb) February 28, 2021
The trend worsened for the Redhawks early in the second half as their own offensive struggles continued while GCU built on its lead.
The spread would balloon to 20, 61-41, with 9:19 to play before the Redhawk offense kicked in gear, courtesy Grigsby and Trammell. Trammell buried a deep three and Grigsby hit consecutive buckets in the paint to get things going.
With 5:22 to play, Trammell would knock down a three and-one for a rare four-point possession. With 2:31 remaining, Grigsby scored through contact, drawing the and-one free-throw opportunity. GCU's Asbjorn Midtgaard was also called for a technical after the play. Seattle U would convert all three free throws for a five-point possession and pull within six, 73-66, of the Lopes.
Grigsby's turnaround jumper with 1:16 to go brought the Redhawks within five, 73-68, but they would get no closer as Jovan Blacksher, Jr., knocked down six free throws down the stretch.
Trammell finished with a game high 28 points, including a perfect 11-of-11 from the charity stripe. Grigsby had 25 points on 10-of-20 shooting and 4-of-4 free throws. No other Redhawk reached double figures on the night.
GCU had four in double figures, paced by Blacksher, Jr.'s 17 points. Midtgaard added 16 points and 16 boards as the Lopes dominated on the glass, 42-21.
Seattle U closes out the regular season on the road next week, traveling to face California Baptist for a pair of WAC contests on Friday, March 5 and Saturday, March 6 in Riverside, Calif. Both games tip off at 6 p.m. with Friday's contest streaming live on ESPN+ and Saturday's regular-season finale being carried on the WAC Digital Network. The games can also be heard on KTTH 770 AM and mynorthwest.com.
Stay connected with Seattle U men's basketball and get all the latest team updates by downloading the GoSeattleU mobile app available now for free in the App Store or Google Play.