SEATTLE – Brayden Maldonado poured in a season high 26 points and John Christofilis drained a corner three at the buzzer to lift Seattle U men's basketball to a 67-65 win over UT Arlington Saturday night at the Redhawk Center.
The win avenged a loss to the Mavericks two weeks ago in Arlington, moving the Redhawks to 10-13 overall and 5-4 in Western Athletic Conference play.
"A lot of the season has played out like this, where we've had a lead or been close and we struggled to finish," said Head Coach Chris Victor. "And it's really big for us to be able to close this one out with a win.
"JC was struggling shooting the ball. And to be on the bench for the last 6-7 minutes of the game and come in and make that shot is really impressive. We have a lot of confidence in that kid and he has a lot of confidence in himself."
JC HITS THE BUZZER BEATER ?? pic.twitter.com/hQUAw0zaxG
— Seattle U Men's Basketball (@seattleumbb) February 9, 2025
Christofilis finished the night with seven point as the game winner marked his first made three of the game after starting 0-4.
Maldonado carried the offense for much of the night, including a flurry of four threes early in the second half as Seattle U pushed a one-point halftime lead to a 47-36 advantage with 14:53 to play.
The game of runs eventually swung back the Mavericks way as the visitor knotted the score 62-62 with 1:52 remaining.
Darius Burford drained a three with 26 seconds to go to put UTA up 65-62, their first lead since the 5:56 mark of the first half.
The Redhawks answered with a quick two on a Maleek Arington driving layup, then were forced to put the Mavericks on the line to extend the game. Buford and Lance Ware each missed the front of one-and-one opportunities, setting up Seattle U's final possession.
With 7.1 on the clock, the Redhawks went the length of the court and Arington found Christofilis in the corner for the game winner.
Maldonado's 26-point output included a 7-of-10 performance from three. He was joined in double figures by Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe (12), Arington (10) and DaSean Stevens (10).
Kade Douglas had 15 points for UTA and Buford added 13.
The Redhawks collected a season-high 16 steals as UTA committed 18 total turnovers. Seattle U also earned a healthy edge at the free-throw line, going 13-of-18 to the Mavs 4-of-13.
Seattle U heads back out on the road next week, making its final trip to the state of Texas. The Southwest road swing begins Thursday, Feb. 13 at Abilene Christian. Tip off from Moody Coliseum is 7 p.m. Central Time, 5 p.m. Pacific.
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