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West Coast Conference Play Tips Off Sunday

Seattle University men’s basketball opens West Coast Conference play on Sunday, Dec. 28, hosting the University of San Francisco in a 5 p.m. tilt at the Redhawk Center. The game will broadcast live on ESPN+.

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West Coast Conference Play Tips Off SundayWest Coast Conference Play Tips Off Sunday

SEATTLE – Seattle University men’s basketball opens West Coast Conference play on Sunday, Dec. 28, hosting the University of San Francisco in a 5 p.m. tilt at the Redhawk Center. The game will broadcast live on ESPN+.

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QUICK HITS

  • Seattle U’s West Coast Conference opener against San Francisco on Dec. 28, 2025 marks the long awaited return to the league (then known as the West Coast Athletic Conference) that the schools competed in from the 1971-72 season through 1979-80. The university dropped from Division I the following academic year.
  • Seattle U’s final game as a member of the WCAC was against San Francisco on March 1, 1980. The game was a 71-59 win for the Dons in San Francisco.
  • Seattle U’s last win as a member of the conference was on Feb. 28, 1980 when they beat San Diego, 76-58, in San Diego.
  • Seattle U closed out non-conference play with a 71-68 win at UTSA on Dec. 22, wrapping up the 13-game slate with an 11-2 record.
  • The win over the Roadrunners extended the Redhawks’ current win streak to six, marking the longest win streak since winning eight straight from 12-25/22-1/21/23).
  • Now sitting at 11-2 on the season, the program must look back to 1966-67 to find similar success. That Seattle U team won seven straight to open the season, moved to 10-1 and 11-2 before losing for a third time.
  • The last Seattle U team to start a season 12-2 or better was the 1963-64 squad that stretched their start to 13-2 before losing for a third time.
  • In Seattle U’s modern DI era, the previous best start to a season was 8-2 in 2022-23. The Redhawks went on to win their first Western Athletic Conference regular season championship and finish the year 20-12.
  • Brayden Maldonado made his first 21 free throws of the season before suffering a miss. He is currently riding a streak of 26 consecutive makes and ranks 1st in the WCC and 4th in the nation at 97.9% (47-48) from the stripe.
  • The Redhawks shot better than 50% from the field in five of their 13 no-conference games, including a shooting % over 45% in 10 of 13 contests. Their season average of 50% ranks among the best in the nation.

ABOUT THE SERIES VS SAN FRANCISCO

  • Seattle U and San Francisco will be meeting for the 29th time in program history.
  • The Dons hold a 21-7 all-time record in the series, including a 7-5 mark in Seattle.
  • The series dates back to 1950.
  • From 1971-72 through 1979-80, the teams met twice a year as opponents in the West Coast Athletic Conference (now WCC). During that span as conference rivals, the Dons earned a 15-3 advantage.
  • The teams have met three in Seattle U’s modern DI history. USF won all three meetings, most recently a 62-59 final in San Francisco on Dec. 13, 2023.
  • Cameron Tyson led the Redhawks with 22 points in the 2023 meeting, but no other Seattle U player reached double figures. The Redhawks led 34-27 at the half before the Dons flipped the script in the second half.
  • USF has won 11 straight in the series. Seattle U’s last win was an 81-70 decision on Feb. 20, 1976.

BY A CLOSE MARGIN

  • Seattle U has played five games that have been decided by less than five points. The Redhawks are 3-2 in those games, including their most recent three wins.
  • Seattle U beat UC Davis by one point, 79-78, on Dec. 17 in Davis, Calif. That marked the Redhawks first win in games separated by five points or less.
  • The Redhawks followed that with a second close margin victory – a 70-66 win over Washington on Dec. 19 – improving their record this season to 2-2 in games decided by five points or fewer.
  • They went on to close out non-conference play with a 71-68 win at UTSA on Dec. 22.
  • The Redhawks’ only two losses on the year have come by a combined five points. Seattle U fell to Cal Poly, 73-71, on Nov. 8 on a buzzer-beating three by the Mustangs. They also fell 74-71 to UC Santa Barbara on Nov. 29 in Las Vegas.

MAURER’S MAGICAL WEEK
Sophomore center Austin Maurer had a coming out party last week, twice tallying a career-high in points, while leading Seattle U to a pair of huge wins. At UC Davis on Wednesday, Maurer made the most of his first collegiate start, finishing one rebound shy of a double-double (14 points, 9 rebounds), helping lead the Redhawks to a key road win. Two nights later back home in Seattle, Maurer outmatched Big Ten Washington’s bigs, finishing with a career-high 19 points, 5 rebounds and 3 blocks. He hit a crucial go-ahead bucket with a minute remaining and converted two free throws in the final seconds to help secure the program’s first ever back-to-back win over the Huskies. Seattle U has now won five straight and is 10-2 on the season for the first time since 1966-67.

NCAA NET RANKING

  • The first NET ranking of the season debuted on Dec. 1. Seattle U debuted at 109 which was the fifth highest in the West Coast Conference.
  • Coming off of their 70-66 win over Washington, the Redhawks broke into the top-100 for the first time this season, coming in at No. 99.
  • In games played through Dec. 25, the Redhawks hold steady at 94, now fourth best in the WCC behind Gonzaga (4), Saint Mary’s (28) and Santa Clara (89).

WEST COAST CONFERENCE STAT LEADERS
In games played through Dec. 25:

  • The Redhawks lead the WCC in blocks per game (5.31) and steals per game (8.92).
  • The team also ranks tied for 2nd in FG% (50.0) and turnover margin (3.15).
  • The Redhawks are 3rd in scoring offense (81.0), 3PT FG% (35.8) and scoring margin (14.5).
  • Brayden Maldonado ranks 1st in free-throw percentage (97.9), 2nd in FG% (51.2) and tied for 6th in scoring (15.9 ppg).
  • Will Heimbrodt leads the league in blocks (2.8) and is 4th in FG% (49.6%).
  • Maleek Arington leads the WCC in steals per game (2.2) and ranks 4th in assists per game (5.1).

GET YOUR TICKETS
Single-game tickets, mini plans and group experiences are on sale now. All ticket options may be purchased online at goseattleu.com/tix or over the phone at 206-398-GOSU.

UP NEXT
The Redhawks continue West Coast Conference play at home on Tuesday, Dec. 30, hosting Washignton State in a 7 p.m. tip-off at Climate Pledge Arena.

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