PORTLAND - Seattle University women’s basketball battled I-5 rival Portland in a classic PNW clash, but a stifling defensive effort by the Pilots (11-8, 5-2 WCC) would hand the Redhawks (5-13, 1-6 WCC) the 83-55 defeat inside the Chiles Center on Saturday evening.
Three Redhawks scored in double-digits, with redshirt senior Tamia Stricklin leading the way with 15 points for her eighth double-digit game in a row. Stricklin shot 60 percent from the floor, connecting three times from behind the arc on four attempts. She ended the day with four rebounds and three steals.
Graduate Ella Brubaker followed suit with 14 points, shooting 45.4 percent from the field. Brubaker went perfect from the free throw line, 4-for-4, while handing out three assists, a new career high. On the defensive end, Brubaker posted three rebounds and three steals.
Junior Lucija Milkovic tallied 10 points, shooting her season average 50 percent from the field. She led all Redhawks with five rebounds, and picked up a steal and a block.
Freshman Dylan Mogel scored eight in her homecoming to the Portland area, a new season high. She knocked down three shots on four attempts, while netting both free throw attempts. The freshman guard dished out two assists, while picking up a steal and two rebounds on the defensive end. Fellow freshman guard Jana Vesic paced the team in assists alongside Brubaker, handing out three on the night. Vesic recorded two steals alongside freshman Chloe Emanga.
Seattle U combined for 46.9 percent shooting from the field, scoring 36 points in the paint. The Redhawks shot 40 percent from three and finished the night shooting seven-of-nine from the stripe. They won the rebounding battle 33-30, grabbing 28 rebounds on the defensive end to Portland’s 21. SU tallied 14 steals in the effort, a mark two steals shy of tying sixth highest in the Division I era.
Mogel led the Redhawks through the opening ten minutes of action, scoring four points. Stricklin followed suit, connecting for the first time from three point land. Brubaker maneuvered the offense with two assists as the Redhawks trailed by 13 after the first quarter.
SU had a fruitful second quarter with Brubaker scoring six points by connecting on two shots on three attempts while going 2-for-2 from the stripe. Stricklin matched Brubaker shooting 66.7 percent from the floor, adding five points in the second quarter. Mogel moved the offense with two assists while connecting on both of her free throw attempts. The Redhawks trailed the Pilots 43-29 at the break.
Brubaker, Stricklin and Milkovic combined for 12 points coming out of halftime before the Redhawks shot 58.3 percent through the closing ten minutes. Milkovic led the charge in the fourth, scoring four points. Both Stricklin and sophomore Fia Proctor went perfect on their attempts from behind the arc to unite for six points, but the Pilots’ defense pushed the deficit, as the Redhawks fell 83-57.
Seattle U returns to the Redhawk Center for two games starting next week, with the Redhawks hosting Santa Clara in a rematch on Thursday evening. SU closes the weekend hosting Alumni Day against Saint Mary’s on Saturday, January 24.
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