LA JOLLA, Calif. – Seattle University men's basketball put together its best half of play of the season in the open frame at UC San Diego Saturday, then buckled down late to hold on for an 84-71 win over the Tritons at LionTree Arena.
The Redhawks got a monkey off their back, notching their first win of the young season while the Tritons fell to 2-2 overall.
A dominant first-half performance on both ends of the floor saw the Redhawks lead by as many as 24, shoot 62% from the field, including 9-of-14 from three, and hold the Tritons to just 28 points. Seattle U hit a stretch of eight straight field goals to lead 40-16 with 4:26 to go in the frame before taking a 49-28 lead into the break.
The Tritons would claw their way back in the second half, hitting eight of their first 12 attempts to cut it to single digits, 59-50, with 11:08 to play. UCSD cut the deficit to eight, but the Redhawks held their ground and hit free throws down the stretch.
Seattle U finished 20-of-27 from the line, including 16-of-22 in the second half. Paris Dawson sank four straight with under two minutes to play and Moncrieffe knocked down a pair for the final spread.
Maleek Arington had a breakout performance, finishing with 21 points and six assists. Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe added his third double-double of the season, finishing with 14 points and 13 rebounds, including 11 in the second half. DaSean Stevens added 13 points on a perfect 5-5 field goals, including 3-3 from three and five key points late in the second.
MALEEK ARINGTON ?? pic.twitter.com/RG2FQR4gCW
— Seattle U Men's Basketball (@seattleumbb) November 17, 2024
UCSD was paced by Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones, who finished with 20 points. Nordin Kapic added 19 points and Tyler McGhie chipped in 14.
The Redhawks return to Seattle for a single game next week, hosting Northwest on Friday, Nov. 22. Tip off is 7 p.m. from the Redhawk Center.
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