Loading

WAC TOURNAMENT GAMEDAY: MBB vs GCU

LAS VEGAS – In a rubber match of sorts to open the 2021 Hercules Tires Western Athletic Conference Basketball Tournament, the fifth-seeded Redhawks (12-10, 4-5 WAC) earned a convincing 83-66 win over fourth-seed California Baptist (13-10, 6-6 WAC). The Redhawks advance to face top-seed Grand Canyon (15-6, 9-3 WAC) in the semifinals on Friday, Mar. 12 at 5:00 p.m. PT on ESPN+. The tournament's championship game is set for Saturday, Mar. 13 at 7:00 p.m. on ESPNU.

Opens in a new window WAC Tournament Central Opens in a new window Game Notes Opens in a new window ESPN+ Opens in a new window Live Stats
WAC TOURNAMENT GAMEDAY: MBB vs GCUWAC TOURNAMENT GAMEDAY: MBB vs GCU
Sarah Finney

LAS VEGAS – In a rubber match of sorts to open the 2021 Hercules Tires Western Athletic Conference Basketball Tournament, the fifth-seeded Redhawks (12-10, 4-5 WAC) earned a convincing 83-66 win over fourth-seed California Baptist (13-10, 6-6 WAC). The Redhawks advance to face top-seed Grand Canyon (15-6, 9-3 WAC) in the semifinals on Friday, Mar. 12 at 5:00 p.m. PT on ESPN+. The tournament's championship game is set for Saturday, Mar. 13 at 7:00 p.m. on ESPNU.

FOLLOW THE REDHAWKS

REDHAWKS WIN ROUND THREE VS THE LANCERS

  • Seattle U and CBU met three times over a span of seven days with the Redhawks earning the final win, an 83-66 final on Thursday in the WAC Tournament quarterfinals.
  • Nate Robinson poured in a career-high 27 points on 10-of-17 shooting, including 4-of-5 from three, to lead four Redhawks in double figures.
  • Darrion Trammell added 26 points, Riley Grigsby had 14 and Emeka Udenyi tallied a double-double for the second consecutive games, finishing with 10 points and 14 rebounds.
  • Seattle U shot better than 48 percent from the field and nearly 48 percent from three while holding the Lancers to just 32 percent from beyond the arc, well below their season average of 40 percent.

ABOUT THE SERIES VS GRAND CANYON
This with be the 19th all-time meeting between Seattle U and Grand Canyon, with the Lopes holding a 14-4 advantage in the series. The teams have split the season series over the past three years, including each winning a game earlier this season in the Redhawk Center.

Seattle U opened the two-game series with a 63-57 win over the Lopes on Feb. 26. Four player scored in double figures including 17 from Darrion Trammell and a career-high 14 from Kobe Williamson. Just 24 hours later, GCU was the victor of an 81-71 final. Trammell scored 28 points and Riley Grigsby added 25.

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.

2021 HERCULES TIRES WAC TOURNAMENT

  • Six teams 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.
  • Grand Canyon is the No. 1 seed, followed by No. 2 Utah Valley, No. 3 NM State, No. 4 CBU, No. 5 Seattle U and No. 6 UTRGV.
  • Seeding for the WAC Tournament was based on league win-loss percentage multiplied by percentage of games played.
  • 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.

REDHAWKS' WAC TOURNAMENT HISTORY

  • Seattle U brings a 4-7 record from seven previous WAC Tournament appearances into this year's event.
  • The 2019-20 tournament was halted before the Redhawks could take to the court. Seattle U had earned the third seed, matching their highest seed in eight years of WAC play.
  • In 2018-19, the sixth-seed Redhawks dropped an 84-75 decision to third-seed Grand Canyon in the opening round of play.
  • In 2017-18, the fourth-seed Redhawks downed fifth-seed UTRGV 77-60 in the opening round, securing a 20-win season under then first-year Head Coach Jim Hayford. They would go on to take top-seed New Mexico State to the limit before falling, 84-79, to the eventual champs.
  • In 2016-17, the fifth-seed Redhawks went 0-1 with a 65-53 loss to fourth-seed Utah Valley in the opening round.
  • In 2015-16, the third-seed Redhawks topped sixth-seed UTRGV in the quarterfinals, 75-52, advancing to face eventual tournament champ CSU Bakersfield in the semifinals. The 'Runners sent SU to a 72-47 setback.
  • In 2014-15, third-seed Seattle U defeated sixth-seed Chicago State, 49-45, in the first round. The next night, Isiah Umipig tied a WAC Tournament record with eight made three-pointers to lead the Redhawks over UMKC, 69-63. In the championship game, New Mexico State scored the first nine points of the game on its way to an 80-61 victory over the Redhawks.
  • Entering the 2013-14 tournament as the seventh seed, the Redhawks battled second-seeded New Mexico State throughout the contest, holding a six-point lead halfway through the second half. After New Mexico State rallied back, Seattle U had a chance to send the game into overtime, but a last-second putback would not fall, giving the Aggies a 70-68 victory.
  • In 2012-13, the Redhawks lost to Texas State, 68-56, in the first round, as Seattle U was the 10th seed.

ALL-WAC HONORS
Darrion Trammell and Riley Grigsby are among those honored by the WAC as the league unveiled its 2020-21 postseason awards. Trammell was named to the All-WAC First Team and the All-Newcomer Team, while Grigsby took home All-WAC Second Team honors. The duo are the league's top two scorers on the year, pouring in 20.6 ppg and 18.3 ppg, respectively for the balance of the season. Trammell upped that mark in WAC play, averaging 24.8 ppg, while Grigsby scored at a 17.7 ppg clip in league action. In addition to leading the league in scoring, Trammell also topped all players in free throw percentage (87.1), free throws made (121), free throw attempts (139) and steals (43/2.0 spg). He also ranks in a tie for second with 5.5 assists per game and total assists (116) and is fourth in 3-pointers per game (2.0). The sophomore transfer hailing from Marin City, Calif., scored in double digits all but twice, scored 20+ points 10 times and hit the 30-point marker three times, including back-to-back nights at Dixie State on Feb. 5-6. He was twice named WAC Player of the Week, including following an impressive 25-point, 13-assist outing versus Portland son Dec. 30. Seattle U's lone returning starter from 2019-20, Grigsby has had a breakout season, nearly doubling his scoring from a year ago as he took on a leadership role in the rotation. The junior from San Jose, Calif., who also earned Preseason All-WAC Second Team honors, scored in double figures all but once and has hit or surpassed the 20-point mark nine times. He also averages 5.3 rebounds per game and ranks third in the WAC with 2.1 3-pointers per game.

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.