Seattle University (13-16, 10-4 WAC) defeated Utah Valley (8-21, 3-11 WAC), 65-55 on senior night at the Connolly Center.
Teammates congratulate each other after a win.
From the start of the game, the teams proved it would be hard to predict who would take the win. Both teams fought to stay on top, often stomping on each other’s prior advancement. The first quarter ended with the score tied, 12-12.
“The game was a little tougher than we wanted it to be. It’s hard to close out two tough and close games like that,” said senior wing Kaylee Best. “We’ve been in that situation the last two weeks in a row, so this time we were able to push the lead in the end. It was a team effort for sure.”
For the past two games Seattle U women’s basketball team have been just a few points away from taking the win. On March 4, New Mexico State, the number one team in the WAC standings, won by three points.
UT Rio Grande Valley took the win from Seattle U by a single point on Feb. 23.
Making eight field goals, Montgomery was leading scorer of the game. Montgomery also completed five free throws and three steals. Best contributed to the victory with five field goals, a 3-pointer and four free throws. Senior post Wilma Afunugo also managed to score three field goals for the Redhawks.
These points accumulated weren’t easy to come by for Seattle U. The Wolverines also had student-athletes that refused to end the game without giving the Redhawks a run for their money.
“Utah Valley plays really, really hard. They play aggressive. They never give up,” said Suzy Barcomb, Seattle University women’s basketball coach. “They exploited some of the things we didn’t do very well.”
Afunugo received four personal fouls in the game. Not letting these fouls ruin the Redhawk’s momentum in the game, the team came back stronger in the fourth quarter.
After the game, the student-athletes reflected on their time playing for the Redhawks, adding on to the significance of this game.
“I’ve had a lot of good memories here with the old coaching staff [and] the new coaching staff and its just really special to have all these people in Seattle coming to support since I was in high school,” said Best, who walked across the court one last time with her parents and sister who surprised her from California. “I’m going to miss playing here a log.”
The Redhawks face Chicago State University (0-28, 0-14 WAC) on Wednesday, March 8 at 4:30pm in Las Vegas in the quarterfinals.
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