SEATTLE – Behind a dominant second-half performance, Seattle U men's basketball won its ninth consecutive game and maintained its hold on first place in the Western Athletic Conference standings with a 78-63 win over visiting Sam Houston Saturday afternoon at the Redhawk Center.
In a showdown between the league's top two teams in the standings, the Redhawks overcame a 19-point first half deficit and routed the Bearkats in the second half, outscoring the visitor 48-24 in the frame, to move to 8-0 in the WAC and 17-4 on the season. Sam Houston saw a six-game win streak snapped as they fell to 13-10 overall and 8-2 in league play.
"Sam Houston came out on fire. They are a really, really tough, well coached team and there's a reason they came in 7-1 in WAC play," said Interim Head Coach Chris Victor. "We weren't ready to go early and we were close to getting blown out of our own building today. But we cut it to nine before halftime and the guys continued to believe and stay together. This is a special group and they keep proving it day in and day out."
Playing with a shortened rotation, five of seven players who saw action finished in double figures for Seattle U. Darrion Trammell led the way with 20 points, Cameron Tyson had 14 and Vasja Pandža added a career-high 14 off the bench.
Riley Grigsby finished with 11 points - none bigger than a turnaround jumper at the 9:03 mark of the second half which gave him 1,000+ for his career. Grigsby became the fifth Seattle U player to reach the 1,000-point mark in the modern Division I era, joining Aaron Broussard, Brown, Means and Isiah Umipig as those who have achieved the feat.
"Riley is so special to this program and this university," said Victor. "It's unique in this day and age in college basketball to have a guy stay around this long, and it's a testament to the kind of man he is and how skilled and talented of a basketball player he is."
Emeka Undeyi rounded out the double-digit scoring Redhawks, finishing with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Viktor Rajković added seven points and a game high 12 rebounds.
The Bearkats came out of the gates on fire, shooting 63 percent from the field in the opening frame, including 5-of-8 from three. Demarkus Lampley and WAC leading scorer Savion Flagg had 11 and nine points, respectively in the half as Sam Houston built a 28-9 lead over the Redhawks.
An 11-0 Redhawk run, sparked by eight straight Tyson points, gave Seattle U some life as the home team pulled to within eight, 28-20, with 5:35 remaining in the half.
Sam Houston would push the spread back to double digits before a Pandža layup accounted for the 39-30 halftime spread.
Trammell opened the second half with a three, but the Bearkats answered with an 8-0 spurt.
Then came the Redhawks.
A second chance three pointer by Grigsby halted the run, Trammell converted the and-one on a made three, then knocked down a setback trey to get the home crowd on its feet and force a Sam Houston timeout.
Two free throws by Tyson and a layup by Udenyi knotted the score at 47-47 and a Tyson three capped the 17-0 run and put Seattle U on top, 50-47, with 13:24 to play.
Five straight Bearkat points briefly had the visitor back in the lead, 52-50, but the Redhawks would roll off a 20-0 run over 6:33 to take a commanding 70-52 lead. A Flagg free throw briefly stopped the bleeding, but an 8-2 Redhawk run ballooned the spread to 22 and put the nail in the coffin.
Flagg finished the night with 14 points and five rebounds to lead Sam Houston. Jaden Ray had 12 points and Lampley had 11, not scoring again int he second half.
"Emeka did a good job on Flagg, but Vasja Pandža may be the unsung hero of the night the way he was able to guard Flagg and shut him down," Victor said. "For a freshman to come in and do that to one of the best scorers in the country is pretty special."
The stretch of WAC play gets no easier for Seattle U as they head out on the road next week, traveling to face Grand Canyon and New Mexico State.
In a showdown between the league's top two teams in the standings, the Redhawks overcame a 19-point first half deficit and routed the Bearkats in the second half, outscoring the visitor 48-24 in the frame, to move to 8-0 in the WAC and 17-4 on the season. Sam Houston saw a six-game win streak snapped as they fell to 13-10 overall and 8-2 in league play.
"Sam Houston came out on fire. They are a really, really tough, well coached team and there's a reason they came in 7-1 in WAC play," said Interim Head Coach Chris Victor. "We weren't ready to go early and we were close to getting blown out of our own building today. But we cut it to nine before halftime and the guys continued to believe and stay together. This is a special group and they keep proving it day in and day out."
Playing with a shortened rotation, five of seven players who saw action finished in double figures for Seattle U. Darrion Trammell led the way with 20 points, Cameron Tyson had 14 and Vasja Pandža added a career-high 14 off the bench.
Riley Grigsby finished with 11 points - none bigger than a turnaround jumper at the 9:03 mark of the second half which gave him 1,000+ for his career. Grigsby became the fifth Seattle U player to reach the 1,000-point mark in the modern Division I era, joining Aaron Broussard, Brown, Means and Isiah Umipig as those who have achieved the feat.
"Riley is so special to this program and this university," said Victor. "It's unique in this day and age in college basketball to have a guy stay around this long, and it's a testament to the kind of man he is and how skilled and talented of a basketball player he is."
And there's 1,000 career points for @RileyGrigsby! pic.twitter.com/PA3IdcMJhH
— Seattle U Men's Basketball (@seattleumbb) January 29, 2022
Emeka Undeyi rounded out the double-digit scoring Redhawks, finishing with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Viktor Rajković added seven points and a game high 12 rebounds.
The Bearkats came out of the gates on fire, shooting 63 percent from the field in the opening frame, including 5-of-8 from three. Demarkus Lampley and WAC leading scorer Savion Flagg had 11 and nine points, respectively in the half as Sam Houston built a 28-9 lead over the Redhawks.
An 11-0 Redhawk run, sparked by eight straight Tyson points, gave Seattle U some life as the home team pulled to within eight, 28-20, with 5:35 remaining in the half.
Sam Houston would push the spread back to double digits before a Pandža layup accounted for the 39-30 halftime spread.
Trammell opened the second half with a three, but the Bearkats answered with an 8-0 spurt.
Then came the Redhawks.
A second chance three pointer by Grigsby halted the run, Trammell converted the and-one on a made three, then knocked down a setback trey to get the home crowd on its feet and force a Sam Houston timeout.
Two free throws by Tyson and a layup by Udenyi knotted the score at 47-47 and a Tyson three capped the 17-0 run and put Seattle U on top, 50-47, with 13:24 to play.
Five straight Bearkat points briefly had the visitor back in the lead, 52-50, but the Redhawks would roll off a 20-0 run over 6:33 to take a commanding 70-52 lead. A Flagg free throw briefly stopped the bleeding, but an 8-2 Redhawk run ballooned the spread to 22 and put the nail in the coffin.
Flagg finished the night with 14 points and five rebounds to lead Sam Houston. Jaden Ray had 12 points and Lampley had 11, not scoring again int he second half.
"Emeka did a good job on Flagg, but Vasja Pandža may be the unsung hero of the night the way he was able to guard Flagg and shut him down," Victor said. "For a freshman to come in and do that to one of the best scorers in the country is pretty special."
The stretch of WAC play gets no easier for Seattle U as they head out on the road next week, traveling to face Grand Canyon and New Mexico State.
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