SEATTLE – Seattle University men's basketball shot nearly 60% in the first half, building a 26-point lead over visiting Southern Utah and cruising to a third straight Western Athletic Conference victory, 75-52, Saturday night at the Redhawk Center.
The Redhawks, now 8-10 overall and 3-1 in WAC play, led 24-14 t the 11:05 mark of the first half, then put kicked into high gear, using a 12-0 run over two minutes to make it 32-14 and force a Thunderbirds called timeout.
The pause did little to slow the Redhawks as they extended the streak to 14 straight while ultimately outscoring Southern Utah (9-9, 1-4 WAC) 27-6 over the final eight minutes of the half to lead 47-22 at the break.
The teams would play to a two-point differential in the second half, but the spread never dropped below 19 as Seattle U was able to send 11 players into the game, all logging 11 minutes or more.
John Christofilis led a trio of Redhawks in double-figures, finishing with 18 points on 8-of-14 field goals. Maleek Arington added 11 points and four assists while Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe finished with 10 points and five rebounds in 20 minutes of action.
Southern Utah was paced by Jamir Simpson's 15 points. Tavi Jackson and Hercy Miller added 13 points apiece.
"I'm really proud of how we came out and played," said Head Coach Chris Victor. "It was a quick turnaround from Thursday to Saturday and the guys were ready to go. We've been talking a lot about our defense and it's good to see us keep improving on that end of the floor."
The Thunderbirds were plagued by 18 turnovers to Seattle U's six. The Redhawks scored 18 points off of those giveaways while also earning a huge 50-20 points-in-the-paint advantage.
Seattle U heads back out on the road next week for the first of two trips to the state of Texas this season. The single-game trip takes them to Arlington, Texas, to face UT Arlington on Thursday, Jan. 23. Tip off from College Park Center is 7 p.m. Central Time, 5 p.m. Pacific.
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