MIAMI, Fla. - Graduate Ella Brubaker captured all-tournament honors for Seattle University women’s basketball (3-5) in the 64-59 defeat to Florida International (3-3) in the tournament’s championship game inside Ocean Bank Convocation Center on Sunday afternoon.
Brubaker paced the team with 15 points after dropping 24 in the win over Presbyterian on Friday. The guard shot 44 percent from the field while posting a perfect 5-for-5 clip from the free throw line. Brubaker picked up seven rebounds, finishing one shy of tying her career high. She also handed out three assists, a new DI career high, and picked up a steal in 30 minutes of action.
Two more Redhawks joined Brubaker in the double-digit score column, with freshman Jana Vesic scoring 14 off the bench. The guard hit 50 percent from the floor and picked up a new collegiate high five rebounds while handing out five assists.
Redshirt senior Tamia Stricklin scored 12, picking up her second double-double of the season, matching her season high by picking up 10 rebounds. The Tacoma native shot 40 percent from the field, including two makes from behind the arc, while handing out a career best tying five assists. On the defensive end, Stricklin recorded a block and a steal.
Sophomore Sydnie Rodriguez paced the defense with two steals, and scored six on the offensive end.
The Redhawks combined for 21 field goals, while winning the rebounding battle 44-39. They limited the Panthers to 33 percent shooting and forced 12 turnovers.
Seattle U came out hot, shooting 71 percent from the field through the opening ten minutes while holding FIU to 22 percent shooting from three. Stricklin opened up SU’s three point scoring, connecting for her first make from downtown at the eight minute mark. Vesic took to the rim, scoring six points in the paint over three minutes. Senior Aaliyah Ibarra capped the first quarter scoring, driving for the hoop and harm to push the Redhawks up three with a 1:02 left. FIU scored the final four to take the lead 25-24 after the first.
The Redhawks kept up the defensive pressure in the second, holding the Panthers to 22 percent shooting from the field. SU got to the line three times and hit perfect from the stripe. The Redhawks trailed by as many as five in the second quarter before Brubaker leveled the game after she was fouled on a three point attempt. Graduate Andjela Bigovic connected from behind the arc to push the Redhawks up three with two minutes remaining before half, but the Panthers took the one point edge, 37-36, into the break.
FIU had its second highest scoring effort in the third quarter, while the Redhawks combined for five field goals. They kept it a one possession game for the majority of the third, until the Panthers capped the first thirty minutes on a 10-2 run.
Seattle U shut down the Panther offense in the fourth, holding the Panthers to 16 percent shooting while not giving up a three. The Redhawks out scored the Panthers by four, but could not overcome their own shooting woes in the closing minutes. They went a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line, but the Panthers would secure the victory 64-59.
The Redhawks return to action on Tuesday, hosting Evergreen State for Kids Day at 11 AM inside the Redhawk Center.
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