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GAMEDAY: MBB at California Baptist

SEATTLE – Seattle U men's basketball (10-9, 3-4 WAC) closes out the regular season on the road this week, traveling to Riverside, Calif., for a pair of Western Athletic Conference match-ups at California Baptist (12-8, 5-5 WAC). The Redhawks and Lancers will face off inside the CBU Events Center on Friday, March 5 and Saturday, March 6. Tip-off each night is set for 6 p.m. Pacific. Friday's game will stream live on ESPN+ while Saturday's contest will be carried on the WAC Digital Network. Both games can be heard live on KTTH 770 AM and mynorthwest.com.

Opens in a new window Game Notes
GAMEDAY: MBB at California BaptistGAMEDAY: MBB at California Baptist
Sarah Finney

SEATTLE – Seattle U men's basketball (10-9, 3-4 WAC) closes out the regular season on the road this week, traveling to Riverside, Calif., for a pair of Western Athletic Conference match-ups at California Baptist (12-8, 5-5 WAC). The Redhawks and Lancers will face off inside the CBU Events Center on Friday, March 5 and Saturday, March 6. Tip-off each night is set for 6 p.m. Pacific. Friday's game will stream live on ESPN+ while Saturday's contest will be carried on the WAC Digital Network. Both games can be heard live on KTTH 770 AM and mynorthwest.com.

FOLLOW THE REDHAWKS

LOOKING AHEAD

  • The 2021 Hercules Tires WAC Basketball Tournament  will be contested March 11-13 at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.
  • Six teams will fill the bracket – California Baptist, Grand Canyon, NM State, Seattle U, Utah Valley and UTRGV. As announced in April 2020, the WAC shortened the eligibility period for participation by transitioning institutions to two years, making CBU eligible in 2021. Dixie State and Tarleton will be eligible in 2023.
  • Seeding for the WAC Tournament is based on league win-loss percentage multiplied by percentage of games played. Entering the final weekend of play, the Redhawks are fifth among the six eligible teams.
  • The winner of the WAC Tournament will be the automatic qualifier to the NCAA Tournament unless it is a transitioning institution. In such case the automatic qualifier will be the regular season champion.
  • If the winner of the WAC Tournament is unable to complete in the NCAA Tournament due to COVID testing, the replacement automatic qualifier is the regular season champion. If the disqualified team is the regular season champion, the highest placing eligible Division I team in the regular season standings (as determined by tiebreakers if necessary) shall be the replacement automatic qualifier.

QUICK HITS

  • Seattle U earned a 1-1 split against league-leader Grand Canyon last week. The Redhawks picked up the Friday win, 63-57, before the Lopes evened the series with an 81-71 final on Saturday.
  • Seattle U forced GCU into a combined 37 turnovers (18.5 per game), well above the Lopes' 13.4 average.
  • Four Redhawks scored in double figures in the win including Darrion Trammell (17), Kobe Williamson (14), Riley Grigsby (13) and Nate Robinson (10).
  • The point totals for Williamson and Robinson were both career highs.
  • Williamson's 14 points were the most for a Seattle U freshman since Aaron Nettles scored 20 points on Dec. 4, 2017 versus Pacific Lutheran. The last time a rookie Redhawk had as 14+ points against a DI opponent was March 9, 2017 when Morgan Means scored 14 in a WAC Tournament game against Utah Valley.
  • Both Darrion Trammell and Riley Grigsby surpassed the 20-point mark for the eighth time this season in Saturday's game against GCU. Trammell finished with a game-high 28 points while Grigsby added 25. The duo combined for 35 of Seattle U's 45 second-half points.
  • Trammell dished 12 assists in the two games versus GCU, bringing his season total to 106.

ABOUT THE SERIES VS CALIFORNIA BAPTIST
This marks just the sixth all-time meeting between Seattle U and California Baptist and the fourth and fifth as Division I members of the Western Athletic Conference. CBU holds a 4-1 lead in the all-time series. The Lancers won both meetings in 2019-20, beginning with a 72-65 final at the accesso ShoWare Center in Kent, Wash., on Feb. 1, 2020. Terrell Brown had 14 points for SU while Morgan Means and Mattia Da Campo chipped in 13 and 10, respectively. Then, in what would ultimately be the Redhawks final game of the season last year, CBU clinched an 88-87 overtime win in Riverside on Feb. 29. Brown had 31 points to lead the Redhawks, including all 10 points in overtime.

In 2018-19, the teams split the WAC home-and-home, each winning on their opponent's home court. The Lancers won the first meeting of 2018-19, 75-64, on Feb. 2, 2019 in the Redhawk Center. Terrell Brown led all scorers in the game, finishing the night with 24 points. The Redhawks returned the favor on Feb. 28, 2019 in Riverside., Calif., with a 67-65 thrilling victory. Delante Jones hit the game-winner - his only field goal of the night - with seven seconds remaining to secure the Redhawk win. Morgan Means had 21 points to lead SU, while Mattia Da Campo had an 11-point, 14-rebound double-double and Brown added 18 points.

The teams' only previous meeting came during the 1987-88 season at the Hawaii Loa Tournament in Kaneohe, Hawaii. The Lancers won that battle, 71-66, over Seattle U.

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 March 1, Seattle U ranks No. 6 nationally in turnover margin (5.3) and 13th in turnovers per game (10.6). In nine of 19 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 29th in the nation and first in the WAC in points (19.9 per game), first in the WAC in free-throw percentage (86.1), second in the WAC in assists (5.6 per game) and second in the WAC in steals (1.9 per game). The 5-10 guard also adds 3.9 rebounds per game.
  • His 5.6 assists per game rank 25th nationally in games played through March 1 and his 1.89 steals per game rank 54th.
  • In WAC play, Trammell is putting up 24.1 ppg while also leading the way with 2.7 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 17 of 19 games, has surpassed 20 points on eight occasions and has three games with 30 points or more. He has also dished five assists or more in 13 of 19 outings.

ONE-TWO PUNCH

  • Sophomore Darrion Trammell and junior Riley Grigsby rank 1-2 among all WAC players in scoring. Trammell averages 19.9 ppg while Grigsby adds 18.1 ppg for the Redhawks.
  • Trammell also leads the WAC at a 24.1 ppg clip in conference play.
  • One or the other has led Seattle U in scoring in all but one game this season.
  • Grigsby has eight games with 20 or more points, including a career-high 28 points at Portland on Nov. 25 and surpassing the mark in six of the Redhawks' last 10 outings.
  • Trammell has surpassed the 20 point marker eight times, including a career-high 32 points at Long Beach State on Dec. 6. The first-year Redhawk most recently had 17 and 28 points on back-to-back nights against Grand Canyon.

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.

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