LAS CRUCES, N. Mex. - Seattle U women's basketball heads on the road for two games this week, starting with New Mexico State in Las Cruces, New Mexico, on Thursday evening and concluding with Grand Canyon in Phoenix, Arizona, on Saturday afternoon.
FOLLOW THE REDHAWKS
- Thursday, February 16 at 5 p.m. pacific time
- Seattle U (4-18, 4-8 WAC) at New Mexico State (12-13, 7-6 WAC)
- Las Cruces, New Mexico
- Live Stats
- ESPN+
- Saturday, February 18 at 1 p.m. pacific time
- Seattle U at Grand Canyon (17-7, 9-4 WAC)
- Phoenix, Arizona
- Live Stats
- ESPN+
TAKING DOWN THE TEXANS
A strong third quarter lead to a Seattle U 62-49 victory over Tarleton last Thursday morning, with three Redhawks finishing in double figures. sophomore Julianna Walker lead the way, scoring 15 points on a perfect five-for-five three-point shooting performance.
Seattle U finished the game 10-20 from three-point land, marking the third double digit three-point performance this season. The Redhawks claimed this victory thanks to a dominate third quarter, outscoring the Texans, 25-14. They shot 50% in the quarter with eight made baskets, while Tarleton was limited to just 25% from the field and only four made field goals.
CLARK FROM DOWNTOWN
Sophomore Taliyah Clark is playing some of her best basketball, leading the team in scoring in three of the last five games. The 5-11 guard was on fire from three-point range against Utah Valley, finishing the evening 7-for-8 from distance to tie Seattle U's DI record for made threes in a single game. Clark's seven threes also ties for the single best three-point performance in the WAC this season.
The native of Lynnwood, Wash., didn't slow down against Utah Tech, knocking down another four three-pointers in a 17 point afternoon. Clark would finish that weekend 11-for-18 from long range for a superb 61%. During this span, Clark has set new career-highs in points (25), rebounds (nine) and steals (six).
SCORING CAREER-HIGHS
10 different Redhawks have recorded new career-highs in scoring this season, with sophomore Taliyah Clark's 25 against Utah Valley leading the group. Junior Peyton Howard scored a new career-high 21 in the final game of nonconference at UC San Diego, while junior Irena Korolenko recorded 19 points against CSUN back in the middle of December.
Sophomore Julianna Walker and freshman Mya Moore both logged 18 against Portland State and Eastern Washington, respectively, while freshman Noemie Bariteau (12), Asta Blauenfeldt (13), Sheridan Liggett (10), Lisa Michaelsen (11) and Makayla Moore (13) have all recorded double-digit games of their own.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
If the WAC Tournament started today, New Mexico State would be the seventh seed, holding -1.99 WAC Resume seeding points with an overall record of 12-13 and 7-6 record in WAC play. The Aggies have lost their last three games, dropping both contests last week against Southern Utah (56-63) and Utah Tech (57-90). Molly Kaiser is their leading scorer, averaging 11.6 points per game.
New Mexico State ranks second in team defense allowing only 60.64 points per game and hold the best turnover margin at positive 4.56. They struggle to block shots and shot from three-point distance, sitting second to last with 2.12 blocks per game and shooting 27.4 from distance. The Aggies took the matchup between the schools earlier this season, winning 58-50 on Jan. 21 in Seattle. The Redhawks are 9-17 all-time against the Aggies.
Grand Canyon have a tight grip on the third spot with 1.86 WAC Resume seeding points, logging an overall record of 17-7 with a 9-4 record in WAC play. The Lopes split their two contests last week, winning a narrow contest against Sam Houston (70-68) before falling to Stephen F. Austin (66-79) on Saturday. Olivia Lane was their best player against Sam Houston, scoring 20 points to go along with seven rebounds and three steals.
Grand Canyon turns the ball over about 17 times per game, ranking the fourth highest in the WAC, but they hold the second best turnover margin at a positive 3.71. The Lopes block the fewest shots per game (2.04) in the conference but force the most steals per game (12.54) of any team. The Redhawks are 6-12 against Grand Canyon all-time with the Lopes taking last season's lone matchup, 64-59, in Seattle.
COME SUPPORT
Single game tickets are now available for purchase on ticketmaster. For more information please contact the Seattle U Athletics box office at 206-398-GOSU or seattleutickets@seattleu.edu.
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