SEATTLE – Seattle U men's basketball came up short in battle for first place in the Western Athletic Conference with NM State, falling to the Aggies, 68-55, Monday night at the Redhawk Center.
Seattle U, now 21-7 on the season and 12-3 in WAC play, moves into a tie for second place alongside Sam Houston. The two teams are one-game back from NM State (23-4, 13-2) and a game-and-a-half ahead of fourth place Stephen F. Austin with three games remaining in the regular season.
Despite a 24-point effort by Darrion Trammell, a late 8-0 by NMSU put the game out of reach as the Redhawks suffered their first loss of the season at the Redhawk Center.
Trammell had 19 of his points in the first half as he paced the Redhawks early on, with SU getting just a combined eight points outside of the guard. Seattle U fell behind by as much as eight, but a 7-0 run over the last four minutes made it a three-point game at the half, 31-28.
Seattle U found themselves battling from behind in the second half with NMSU going on an early 6-0 run. Just like the first half, Seattle U was able to climb back into the game when a Kobe Williamson layup at the 13:51 mark capped off a 9-0 run and cut the deficit to just one, 41-40.
But a 10-2 Aggie spurt would open up a nine-point advantage, 51-42, and the visitor would hold on down the stretch.
Riley Grigsby finished the night with 10 points as the only other Redhawk in double figures. Seattle U shot just 31.3 percent for the game and 22.6 percent from three (7-31). They were outrebounded 50-36 by the Aggies, including 15 offensive boards that NM State turned into 17 second-chance points.
The home stretch of the regular season begins with a Utah road swing this week. The Redhawks head to Orem, Utah, to face Utah Valley on Thursday, Feb. 24. Tip off is 6 p.m. Mountain Time, 5 p.m. Pacific.
Seattle U, now 21-7 on the season and 12-3 in WAC play, moves into a tie for second place alongside Sam Houston. The two teams are one-game back from NM State (23-4, 13-2) and a game-and-a-half ahead of fourth place Stephen F. Austin with three games remaining in the regular season.
Despite a 24-point effort by Darrion Trammell, a late 8-0 by NMSU put the game out of reach as the Redhawks suffered their first loss of the season at the Redhawk Center.
Trammell had 19 of his points in the first half as he paced the Redhawks early on, with SU getting just a combined eight points outside of the guard. Seattle U fell behind by as much as eight, but a 7-0 run over the last four minutes made it a three-point game at the half, 31-28.
Seattle U found themselves battling from behind in the second half with NMSU going on an early 6-0 run. Just like the first half, Seattle U was able to climb back into the game when a Kobe Williamson layup at the 13:51 mark capped off a 9-0 run and cut the deficit to just one, 41-40.
But a 10-2 Aggie spurt would open up a nine-point advantage, 51-42, and the visitor would hold on down the stretch.
Riley Grigsby finished the night with 10 points as the only other Redhawk in double figures. Seattle U shot just 31.3 percent for the game and 22.6 percent from three (7-31). They were outrebounded 50-36 by the Aggies, including 15 offensive boards that NM State turned into 17 second-chance points.
The home stretch of the regular season begins with a Utah road swing this week. The Redhawks head to Orem, Utah, to face Utah Valley on Thursday, Feb. 24. Tip off is 6 p.m. Mountain Time, 5 p.m. Pacific.
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