Loading

Men's Hoops Opens WAC Tournament Play Thursday

SEATTLE – Seattle University men's basketball opens WAC Tournament play on Thursday, March 13 as the fifth seed. They will face fourth-seed Abilene Christian in the tournament's quarterfinals round. Tip off between the Redhawks and Wildcats is 6 p.m. The game will air on ESPN+. The winner will advance to face the winner of top-seed Utah Valley and ninth-seed Utah Tech on Friday, March 13 at 6 p.m. The tournament championship game is Saturday, March 15 at 8:40 p.m. on ESPN2.

Opens in a new window Game Notes Opens in a new window Watch on ESPN+ Opens in a new window Live Stats
Men's Hoops Opens WAC Tournament Play ThursdayMen's Hoops Opens WAC Tournament Play Thursday

SEATTLE – Seattle University men's basketball opens WAC Tournament play on Thursday, March 13 as the fifth seed. They will face fourth-seed Abilene Christian in the tournament's quarterfinals round. Tip off between the Redhawks and Wildcats is 6 p.m. The game will air on ESPN+. The winner will advance to face the winner of top-seed Utah Valley and ninth-seed Utah Tech on Friday, March 13 at 6 p.m. The tournament championship game is Saturday, March 15 at 8:40 p.m. on ESPN2.

FOLLOW THE REDHAWKS

  • Thursday, March 13, 2025 at 6 PM PT
  • No. 5 Seattle U (13-17, 8-8 WAC) vs. No. 4 Abilene Christian (16-15, 8-8 WAC)
  • Orleans Arena, Las Vegas, NV
  • Live Stats
  • Watch on ESPN+
  • Game Notes

QUICK HITS

  • Seattle U won back-to-back road games for the first time this season, finishing the regular season with a 70-65 victory at Utah Tech on Saturday in St. George.
  • Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe poured in a career-high 26 points and Paris Dawson added 19 in the season sweep of the Trailblazers. 
  • Brayden Maldonado, a junior who spent his first two collegiate seasons at MSU-Denver, scored 12 points at Utah Tech on March 8 and now enters Thursday's game versus ACU with 988 career points. He needs just 12 more to hit the 1,000-point marker.
  • Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe collected his 11th double-double of the season at Southern Utah on March 6. That mark is now the most double-doubles in a season in Seattle U's modern DI era, surpassing Myles Carter's 10 during the 2018-19 season.
  • Already Seattle U's all-time leader in blocks, Kobe Williamson tallied two block at SUU Thursday, bringing his career total to 167 and counting.
  • Maleek Arington had three steal at Utah Tech, bringing his season total to 64 and moving him up to No. 7 on Seattle U's single-season top-10 list. Dave Anderson (1984-85) holds the No. 6 spot with 68 steals. The all-time single-season record for steals is 84, held by Ray Brooks (1984-85).
  • Kobe Williamson became Seattle University's all-time leader in games played on Feb. 13 at Abilene Christian. The regular season finale at Utah Tech marked the 139th of Williamson's Redhawk career. He surpassed former teammate Riley Grigsby (2019-23) who finished his career with 133 games played.

REDHAWKS' WAC TOURNAMENT HISTORY

  • Seattle U brings a 6-11 record from 11 previous WAC Tournament appearances into this year's event.
  • In 2023-24, the Redhawks earned the fourth seed for a second straight year. They opened play with an 81-57 quarterfinals win over California Baptist. In the semifinals against top-seed GCU, the Redhawks led at halftime and had five players in double figures, but the Lopes would prevail, 80-72, on their way to the tournament title.
  • In 2022-23, the fourth-seeded Redhawks fell 84-79 to eventual champs Grand Canyon. Cameron Tyson had 27 points and the Redhawks led in the first half but the Lopes rallied with a 55-point second half.
  • In 2021-22, the Redhawks were the second seed after earning a share of the regular season title, earning a double bye into the semifinals, but ran into a surging Abilene Christian team (sixth seed) who earned a 78-76 upset win.
  • In 2020-21, the fifth-seeded Redhawks opened with an 83-66 win over California Baptist in the opening round, then fell to eventual tournament champions Grand Canyon, 81-47, in the semifinals.
  • The 2019-20 tournament was halted due to the COVID pandemic before the Redhawks could take to the court. Seattle U had earned the third seed.
  • In 2018-19, the sixth-seed Redhawks dropped an 84-75 decision to third-seed Grand Canyon in the opening round of play.
  • In 2017-18, the fourth-seed Redhawks downed fifth-seed UTRGV, 77-60, in the opening round, securing a 20-win season under then first-year Head Coach Jim Hayford. They would go on to take top-seed New Mexico State to the limit before falling, 84-79, to the eventual champs.
  • In 2016-17, the fifth-seed Redhawks went 0-1 with a 65-53 loss to fourth-seed Utah Valley in the opening round.
  • In 2015-16, the third-seed Redhawks topped sixth-seed UTRGV in the quarterfinals, 75-52, advancing to face eventual tournament champ CSU Bakersfield in the semifinals. The 'Runners sent SU to a 72-47 setback.
  • In 2014-15, third-seed Seattle U defeated sixth-seed Chicago State, 49-45, in the first round. The next night, Isiah Umipig tied a WAC Tournament record with eight made three-pointers to lead the Redhawks over UMKC, 69-63. In the championship game, New Mexico State scored the first nine points of the game on its way to an 80-61 victory over the Redhawks.
  • Entering the 2013-14 tournament as the seventh seed, the Redhawks battled second-seeded New Mexico State throughout the contest, holding a six-point lead halfway through the second half. After New Mexico State rallied back, Seattle U had a chance to send the game into overtime, but a last-second putback would not fall, giving the Aggies a 70-68 victory.
  • In 2012-13, the 10th seed Redhawks lost to Texas State, 68-56, in the first round.

ABOUT THE SERIES VS ABILENE CHRISTIAN

  • This marks just the eighth all-time meeting between Seattle U and Abilene Christian with the Wildcats holding a 4-3 edge.
  • The teams have just one previous meeting at the WAC Tournament, a 78-76 Wildcat win in the 2022 semifinals.
  • The teams split the home-and-home series this year, each winning on their home court.
  • Seattle U won this season's first meeting on a game-winning bucket by Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe. The graduate forward converted the go-ahead layup with four seconds to go and ACU's potential game-tying runner rimmed out.
  • Moncrieffe finished with 23 points and 11 rebounds in the Redhawk win. John Christofilis and Paris Dawson had 12 points apiece.
  • The teams split the home-and-home series in 2023-24. Seattle U won the season's first meeting, 75-52, in Seattle on Feb. 8. In the game, the Redhawks hauled in a season-high 51 rebounds, the highest total since pulling down 51 on Nov. 27, 2021 versus St. Thomas.
  • The Wildcats held home court advantage on Mar. 7, 2024 with a 64-59 win despite the Redhawks leading by nine at the half.
  • The Redhawks won the first ever meeting in 2021-22, earning a 72-62 win on Jan. 20 in Abilene, Texas. Cameron Tyson led four Redhawks in scoring with 20 points.

ALL-WAC HONORS

  • Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe was named to the five-member All-WAC First Team and Maleek Arington was named to the five-member WAC All-Defensive Team.
  • Moncrieffe led Seattle U in points and rebounds this season, averaging just shy of a double-double with 15.1 ppg and 9.6 rpg. He tallied a league-best 11 double-doubles on the season, the most for a Seattle U player in the modern DI era. 
  • Moncrieffe led the league in rebounds (259), defensive rebounds per game (6.67) and double-doubles (11), while ranking second in rebounds per game (9.6), field-goal percentage (57%), free throws (132) and free-throw attempts (202) and third in offensive rebounds per game (2.93). His marks also ranked him among the best in the nation, including 16th in rebounds per game and 31st in double-doubles.
  • Arington, a junior guard in his first year at Seattle U, leads the team and the WAC in steals (64) and steals per game (2.13) while ranking second in the WAC in assists (134), assists per game (4.5) and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.27). He's had 11 games with three steals or more, including twice tallying six steals, and he has entered Seattle U's top-10 list for single-season steals.
  • Arington's performance this season has helped the Redhawks rank among the nation's best in scoring defense (38th, 66.5 ppg), turnover margin (36th, 3.0) and turnovers forced per game (40th, 14.2), while also leading the WAC with just 11.2 giveaways per game.

NATIONAL RANKS (games thru Mar. 10)
The Redhawks rank:

  • 16th in Free Throw Attempts Per Game (23.9)
  • 18th in Free Throws Made Per Game (17.2)
  • 36th in Turnover Margin (3.0)
  • 37th Scoring Defense (66.5)
  • 40th in Turnovers Forced Per Game (14.20)

Individuals rank (* also leads the WAC):

Donate Today
Fans interested in making a gift to Seattle University Athletics can do so by clicking here. Your gift directly impacts all Redhawk student athletes as they strive for excellence in the classroom, in competition, and in the community. Thank you for supporting Seattle University Athletics! 

Follow Along With the Action
Stay connected with Seattle U men's basketball and get all the latest team updates by downloading the GoSeattleU mobile app available now for free in the App Store or Google Play.