SEATTLE – Seattle University men's basketball (4-2, 0-0 WAC) breaks from non-conference action this week for an early start to Western Athletic Conference play. The two-game stint that splits an 11-game non-conference slate begins on the road on Wednesday, Nov. 29 as the Redhawks travel to Orem, Utah, to face reigning WAC regular-season champion Utah Valley (4-2, 0-0 WAC). Tip-off from the UCCU Center is 6 p.m. Mountain Time, 5 p.m. Pacific. The game will broadcast live on ESPN+.
FOLLOW THE REDHAWKS
- Wednesday, Nov. 29 at 6:00 PM MT/5:00 PM PT
- Seattle U (4-2, 0-0 WAC) at Utah Valley (4-2, 0-0 WAC)
- UCCU Center, Orem, Utah
- Live Stats
- Watch on ESPN+
- Game Notes
QUICK HITS
- Seattle U closed out a two-game homestand over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend with a 79-67 win over UC San Diego.
- The win over the Tritons moved the Redhawks to 3-0 all-time against UCSD.
- Seattle U help its opponent to under 70 points for the sixth time this season. The Redhawks rank No. 31 in the nation (games through 11/26) in scoring defense at 62.0 opponent ppg.
- Cameron Tyson led a quartet of Redhawk in double-figures, finishing with a season-high 28 points, including six three pointers.
- Brandton Chatfield added 16 points, Alex Schumacher had 13 points and Kobe Williamson chipped in 11.
- Vasja Pandža dished a career-high six assists.
- The Redhawks shot better than 50% from the field for a second straight game, while also dropping double-digit threes for the second straight night.
ABOUT THE SERIES VS UTAH VALLEY
- Seattle U and Utah Valley are meeting for the 27th time, with the series tied 13-13 all-time.
- Recent years have seen exciting battles between the two sides, including a road win for both the Redhawks and Wolverines last season.
- The teams split the home-and-home series in 2021-22 as well, each winning on their home courts.
- The teams met just once during the shortened 2020-21 season - a 93-92 overtime win for UVU in Seattle.
- The last win streak for either side came during the 2019-20 season when the Redhawks swept the home-and-home, including a runaway 83-50 victory in the Redhawk Center (1/11/20) and an 87-85 overtime thriller in Orem, capped by a game-winning shot from Morgan Means.
RECORD WATCH
- Kobe Williams recorded four blocks in the win over UC San Diego on Nov. 26, bringing his career total to 108. He now sits just one block shy of the all-time Seattle U record, held by Aaron Menzies (2015-18).
- Brandton Chatfield is working his way up the Seattle U career blocks top-10 list as well, checking in at No. 8 with 72.
- Cameron Tyson needs 13 more threes to hit No. 2 all-time at Seattle U. He sits 23 threes away from the all-time record held by Aaron Waite (1988-92).
FREE THROW STREAK
Victor Rajkovic is a perfect 13-13 from the free-throw line to start the 2023-24 season. The junior forward hit all five of his attempts in the season opener versus PVAM, then went 4-for-4 versus Montana State and 4-for-4 versus Northern Arizona. The streak is the longest for a Seattle U player since Cameron Tyson hit 23 consecutive free throws from Jan. 12, 2023 vs NM State through Feb. 1, 2023 versus Abilene Christian.
REDHAWK ROUNDUP
- The 92-point outing against Idaho on Nov. 22 was the most points scored by a Seattle U team since Jan. 17, 2022 when the Redhawks beat California Baptist, 92-85, in overtime.
- The Redhawks shot a blistering 61.8% from the field in the win over Idaho on Nov. 22, marking the first time Seattle U had shot better than 60% since Feb. 15, 2018 versus UTRGV.
- Seattle U earned its fifth consecutive season-opening win with a 71-60 victory over Prairie View A&M on Wednesday. This is just the third time in the last seven seasons that Seattle U had opened the season at home.
- Seattle native John Christofilis had a career and game-high 18 points in his Redhawk debut. The redshirt sophomore from Creighton had not played in a collegiate game since the 2021-22 season when he averaged 3.9 minutes in 13 appearances for the Bluejays.
- Williamson and Brandton Chatfield had five blocks apiece against PVAM, a career-high for both big men. It also marked the first time a Redhawk had recorded five blocks in a game since Myles Carter turned away seven shots on Nov. 28, 2018 versus Northwest.
- The Redhawk roster features six players from the state of Washington, including four who call the city of Seattle home. All four Seattleites are new to the squad this year, including John Christofilis (O'Dea HS/Creighton) and Malek Gomma (Ingraham HS/Elite Prep), Jazel Brown (Garfield HS) and Niko Fotopoulos (Bishop Blanchete HS/St. Thomas More School).
- Seattle U's coaching staff also features numerous local ties as assistant coaches Grant Leep, D'Marques Tyson and Steven Shpreyregin all hail from the state of Washington.
- Seattle U is coming off of a 20-12 overall record in 2022-23 and a 23-9 mark in 2021-22. The back-to-back 20-win seasons were the first for the program since 1963-64. Three straight 20-win seasons has not taken place since 1957-59.
- The Redhawks' 2022 Western Athletic Conference regular season title was the first DI conference title for the program and just the second overall conference title (Seattle U won the 2006-07 DII Great Northwest Athletic Conference crown).
GET YOUR TICKETS
Single-game tickets and mutli-game packages are available for purchase. Season ticket holders receive exclusive access to special offers and always receive the best value. All ticket options may be purchased online at goseattleu.com/tix or over the phone at 206-398-GOSU.
UP NEXT
Seattle U returns home to host Western Athletic Conference rival Southern Utah on Saturday, Dec. 2. Tip off is 3 p.m. PT in the Redhawk Center.
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.