LAS VEGAS – A blistering offensive performance combined with lock-down defensive was the perfect recipe for success Thursday night as Seattle University men's basketball downed California Baptist, 81-57, in the quarterfinal round of the 2024 Western Athletic Conference Tournament at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.
"It's great to see our guys flip it on how we've been playing and struggling," said Seattle U Head Coach Chris Victor. "For them to have the ability to come in here and play together and get the game off to how it started and continue to play defense throughout the game was huge."
Cameron Tyson led all scorers with 18 points, including 16 in the decisive first half. John Christofilis had 17 and Kobe Williamson came off the bench to add 13 points. Alex Schumacher added eight points and nine assists.
The Redhawks shot nearly 63% in the first frame, breaking things open midway through with a 13-0 run. The Lancers put together a 7-0 spurt to cut the spread down to three, 26-23, but Seattle U would close out the frame with a 17-3 advantage to lead 43-26 at the break.
The lead ballooned to as many as 31 in the second half as the Lancers were never able to cut into the gap. Seattle U finished 12-of-23 from three and shot 54% from the field for the night.
"This team has had a good year," Victor said. "We've had some ups and downs and we've had some inconsistencies, but we know when we're playing our best a game like this can happen. The message has always been stay together, compete together, play for each other. And if we do those things, the results will take care of themselves."
The fourth-seed Redhawks (19-13) advance to the semifinals for the second time in the past three years where they will face top-seed Grand Canyon Friday at 6 p.m. The game will air live on ESPN+.
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