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WAC Play Begins Saturday at CBU

SEATTLE – Seattle University men's basketball tips off the New Year and Western Athletic Conference play in Riverside, Calif., this week, traveling to face California Baptist on Saturday, Jan. 4. Tip-off from the Fowler Events Center is set for 5 p.m. The game will air on ESPN+.

Opens in a new window Game Notes Opens in a new window Watch on ESPN+ Opens in a new window Live Stats
WAC Play Begins Saturday at CBUWAC Play Begins Saturday at CBU

SEATTLE – Seattle University men's basketball tips off the New Year and Western Athletic Conference play in Riverside, Calif., this week, traveling to face California Baptist on Saturday, Jan. 4. Tip-off from the Fowler Events Center is set for 5 p.m. The game will air on ESPN+.

FOLLOW THE REDHAWKS

  • Saturday, January 4, 2025 at 5:00 PM PT
  • Seattle U (5-9, 0-0 WAC) at California Baptist (7-7, 0-0 WAC)
  • Fowler Events Center, Riverside, CA
  • Live Stats
  • Watch on ESPN+
  • Game Notes

QUICK HITS

  • The Redhawks closed out an up-and-down non-conference slate of action with a 5-9 record. They picked up big road wins at UC San Diego and Washington, while also contesting the likes of Duke, Liberty and Furman.
  • The non-conference concluded on Dec. 30 with a heartbreaking 71-69 loss to Nicholls as the visitor hit the game-winner to cap a 7-0 run to close out the game.
  • Six Redhawks scored in double-figures in the game against Nicholls, including a 12-point, nine-rebound effort from Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe.
  • Freshman Houran Dan had 10 points for his third double-figure output in the past five games.
  • Kobe Williamson made his return to the court on Dec. 23 at Washington, finishing with four points, one rebound, 1 assist and one block in 16 minutes of action. Against Nicholls, he upped his minutes to 24 and nearly collected a double-double, finishing with 11 points, nine rebounds and four blocks.
  • Already Seattle U's all-time leader in blocks, Williamson's four on Dec. 30 brings his career total to 151 and counting.
  • Houran Dan is coming into his own as of late. The freshman center has entered the starting lineup over the last five games and is averaging 9.0 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game over the span. He's shooting at a 71.4% clip from the field in the five games while also hitting 15-of-19 from the free-throw line.
  • Paris Dawson has eight double-digit scoring outputs on the season, including in six of the last eight games. His season average of 11.2 ppg more than doubles his 2023-24 average of 5.1 ppg in nearly the same number of minutes per game.

ABOUT THE SERIES VS CALIFORNIA BAPTIST

  • This marks the 15th all-time meeting between Seattle U and California Baptist with the Redhawks holding a 9-5 all-time advantage.
  • The Redhawks have won eight of the last 10 meetings, though both losses during that stretch have come in Riverside.
  • Seattle U swept the home-and-home series last year, courtesy a game-winning bucket in each game. The Redhawks also won big, 81-57, in the WAC Tournament quarterfinals.
  • In the 2023-24 season's first meeting, Seattle U ground out a 48-46 win in the Redhawk Center. The 46 points allowed tie Seattle U's season low, and are the lowest allowed to a DI opponent. Alex Schumacher scored the game-winner in the January 6, 2024 win, beating the final buzzer with a layup for the go-ahead points.
  • Nearly a month later in Riverside, Kobe Williamson converted a putback layup and the and-1 free throw with seven seconds remaining to propel the Redhawks to a 61-60 win.
  • Seven of the last 10 meetings have been within seven points, including six one-possession decisions.

NET RANKING UPDATE

  • In games played through Jan. 2, Seattle U ranks No. 156 in the NET rankings.
  • The Redhawks' record thus far includes a 1-1 mark against Quad 1 opponents, including a road win at now 56th-ranked UC San Diego and a road loss at now 3rd-ranked Duke, and a road win over Quad 2, now 95th- ranked Washington.
  • Seattle U debuted at No. 105 in the first NET ranking of the season,  released Monday, Dec. 1. 

NATIONAL RANKS (games thru Jan. 2)
The Redhawks rank:

  • 6th in Free Throws Made Per Game (19.5)
  • 10th in Free Throw Attempts Per Game (26.1)
  • 69th in Bench Pts P/G (27.21)

Individuals rank:

REDHAWK RUNDOWN

  • Seattle U earned a 79-70 win at Washington on Dec. 23, snapping a 19-game losing streak against the crosstown foe, dating back to 1978.
  • The Redhawks had 16 offensive rebounds versus UIC on Dec. 20, marking the ninth time this season they collected double-digit offensive boards.
  • Seattle U's 111 points scored on Dec. 14 against Pacific (Ore.) marked the highest scoring output for a Redhawk squad since scoring 115 versus Pacific on Nov. 12, 2019.
  • The 67-point margin of victory surpassed the previous modern DI record of 62 points set on Dec. 17, 2015 in a 98-36 win over Northwest Indian College. It is the largest margin of victory since Seattle U defeated Northwest University (then known as Northwest College), 122-51, during the 1988-89 season.
  • Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe was named WAC Newcomer of the Week on Dec. 9 after averaging 14.5 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists in two games for Seattle U. His efforts included the season's fifth double double on Dec. 4 against Portland State.
  • On Dec. 4, Seattle U poured in a then season-high 91 points in a 91-74 win over Portland State, marking the first time they eclipsed 90 points since Dec. 17, 2023 when they dropped a 100-99 double-overtime thriller to Washington. Both games were contested at Climate Pledge Arena.
  • Seattle U's 22 offensive boards against Furman on Nov. 26 is the most since Nov. 15, 2015, when the Redhawks hauled in 24 o-boards against Sacramento State.
  • The game versus Northwest on Nov. 22 featured 60 total foul calls. The Redhawks went 29-of-40 from the free-throw line, both numbers marking the most since Dec. 23, 2022, when they went 32-of-45 from the line versus Iona at the Diamond Head Classic in Hawaii.

PRESEASON HONORS
Redshirt junior guard John Christofilis was named to the five-member Preseason All-Western Athletic Conference Team, as voted on by the league's 11 head coaches. Christofilis returns for his second season with the Redhawks following a breakout year in 2023-24. The Seattle native averaged 12.7 points and 2.3 rebounds per game a season ago. He led Seattle U in scoring seven times and scored in double figures 17 total times. After scoring 18 points to go with five rebounds and two steals in his Redhawk debut, Christofilis missed the next nine games due to a hand injury. In his fourth game back, he poured in a career-high 32 points on 13-of-22 FGs. Christofilis finished the season with 64 threes, hitting at a team-high 39.8% clip.

WAC PRESEASON POLLS
Seattle University was selected third in the 2024-25 Western Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches Poll. The Redhawks are coming off a 2023-24 season that saw them finish 23-14 overall, including 11-9 in WAC play, and culminate with the College Basketball Invitational Championship. The 23-win season was the third consecutive year the Redhawks hit or surpassed the 20-win marker, the first such streak since 1957-59. Seattle U's third place pick came with one first-place vote and 46 total points. Reigning WAC Tournament champion Grand Canyon earned eight first-place votes and 64 points to be named the preseason favorite. UT Arlington earned 49 points to edge the Redhawks for second place.

UP NEXT
Seattle U returns home to continue Western Athletic Conference play on Saturday, Jan. 11, hosting Abilene Christian in a 7 p.m. tip-off at Climate Pledge Arena. The game will air on ESPN+.