SEATTLE – As a redshirt freshman last season, Will Heimbrodt took his minutes whenever he could get them.
The way he played on Monday night, he’s likely to get a lot more of those minutes.
In his first-ever college start, Heimbrodt poured in a career-high 24 points, Brayden Maldonado got his senior season off to a high-flying beginning with a career-high 28 and Seattle University opened its men’s basketball campaign by downing Denver inside the Redhawk Center, 84-73.
Heimbrodt, who saw action in 27 of last season’s 32 games totaling 285 minutes, all as a reserve, more than doubled his previous scoring high of 11 points from last Dec. 14 against Pacific. His 24 on Monday came on 9-of-14 shooting, including a stretch of seven straight makes from midway through the first half through in the second half. He also pulled down a career-high eight rebounds, eclipsing the five he grabbed last Jan. 4 against California Baptist.
“I wasn’t expecting those kind of numbers. I was just expecting to go out and take what the defense gives me,” Heimbrodt said. “Our guards create so many advantages. I just take what they give me, drive open lanes and try to knock down some shots.”
Maldonado topped is previous career high of 27, set in November of 2023 while playing for MSU-Denver. On Monday, he hit 9-of-15 from the field, including 3-of-5 behind the arc, and all seven of his free throws.
“I think the adrenaline was high and everyone was so excited to get out on the floor” Maldonado said. “We love playing at home. There was so much adrenaline, so much energy. Everyone was excited to come out and play basketball, and it showed in our effort and how we executed and how positive we were with each other out there on the floor.”
The Redhawks led through most of the first half, once by as many eight points thanks to an 11-2 scoring run that stretched a 13-12 lead to 24-16 with 12:02 remaining.
Denver answered with a 16-6 burst and edge in front 32-30 at the 5:35 mark. From there, the lead changed hands six more times and SU scored the final six points of the half to rake a 42-37 lead into the break.
They stayed in front the rest of the way. The lead gradually grew to as many as 16 at 65-49 with 9:39 left in the game. But the Pioneers climbed back in, twice getting as close as seven, the last time at 80-73. But by then, just 42.3 seconds remained.
“Basketball you hear all the time is a game of runs, and it’s true,” Redhawks head coach Chris Victor said. “I thought we had an opportunity, especially in the second half, to really stretch the lead. We were up 16 with 12 minutes to go and that was a pivotal time of the game. They cut it to 12 and then 10.
“That’s a tough team. They played hard and a lot of us not being able to put them away was because of their grit and determination,” Victor added. “We had opportunities to, and I thought we responded well when they went on runs. I thought our guys stayed composed throughout the game.”
Monday’s game was the season opener for both teams and was a non-conference contest. But starting next year, the Redhawks and Pioneers will see each other on a regular basis as Denver will join the West Coast Conference at the start of the 2026-27 academic year.
Seattle U will be heading into its first WCC campaign in December.
By the Numbers
- The Redhawks hit 45.8 percent from the field (27-of-59), hitting 42.1 percent downtown (8-of-19). They limited Denver to just 37.5 percent shooting (21-of-56),and 38.1 percent behind the arc (8-of-21).
- The whistles were blowing frequently. The teams combined for 44 fouls (26 for Denver, 18 for SU) and 61 free throws (22-of-33 for SU, 23-of-28 for Denver).
- Along with Heimbrodt’s eight boards, Austin Maurer also had eight.
- Houran Dan, the Redhawks’ 6-foot-10 center, got his first dunk of the season with 16:15 left in the second half.
- The Redhawks have won six of their last seven season openers.
Up Next
Seattle U continues its season-opening, four-game homestand Saturday, Nov. 8, against Cal Poly at the Redhawk Center. Tip-off is at 7:00 p.m.
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