It’s a familiar scene for the Redhawks as spectators fill the stands at Climate Pledge Arena, with the Seattle University men’s basketball team gearing up to take on in-conference opponents, Abilene Christian University (ACU). Seattle U last faced the Wildcats at Climate Pledge Feb. 8, 2024, with the Redhawks taking home the win in a blowout victory, 75-52. The last time Seattle U took the court at Climate Pledge was earlier this season when the Redhawks came out victorious in the “I-5 Clash” with a 91-74 victory against Portland State.  

The Redhawks struck first in this matchup after Seattle U’s Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe drained two free throws after being fouled by ACU’s Leonardo Bettiol in the first minute of the game. This was quickly followed by ACU’s Quion Williams throwing down a dunk to tie it at two. From there it was a back-and-forth contest throughout the entire first half, with neither team leading by more than three points at any time. Big plays from the Redhawks squad kept the game close throughout the first, such as a strong and one layup from senior guard Paris Dawson, showing why he has earned his spot on the starting five this season, along with a big dunk from Moncrieffe that ignited the arena with just over seven minutes left in the half. ACU took the first half 40-38. 

Early in the second half, Seattle U struggled with turnovers and capitalizing on possessions, leading to ACU taking a controlling edge over the Redhawks, with the largest margin being 11 points, 53-42, with just over 12 minutes left in the game.

“I thought it was a tale of two halves… we didn’t play great in the first half, especially defensively… our guys turned it late in the second half defensively,” head coach Chris Victor said.

Despite being down by 11 points, the Redhawks squad was able to find their stride, going on a 15-point run while holding the Wildcats to just one score with six minutes left in the game. This offensive run was led by the redshirt junior forward John Christofilis, who made back-to-back three pointers to give Seattle U the lead 57-55 with 6:40 left in the game, both of which were assisted by Dawson.

“I’m a shooter, I don’t stop shooting, it’s in my DNA,” Christofilis said on his late game three pointers.  

From there Seattle U never lost the lead and with 25 seconds left in the game, it was looking like the Redhawks would be walking away with their first conference victory of the season. This was until ACU’s Dontrez Williams stole the ball from Seattle U’s Brayden Maldonado during an inbound pass, proceeding to get to the basket and tie the game, 64-64 with 24 seconds left. With the entire arena shaking in their seats the Redhawks’ Paris Dawson inbounded the ball to Maleek Arington who brought the ball up the court, eventually passing it to Moncrieffe, who was able to make a drive at the basket and lay one up with three seconds left, securing the win for the Redhawks, 66-64.

“I got downhill and saw an opening, [the ACU defender] kinda bumped me and I saw a lane of finish and I finished strong,” Moncrieffe said.  

This performance added yet another double-double to Moncrieffe’s resume, his eighth this season. The Georgia transfer has been a huge impact player for the Redhawks this season, averaging 15.5 points per game and 10.9 assists, proving why he is in contention for the WAC Player of the Year.  

Moncrieffe wasn’t the only highlight player in this game. Both Christofilis and Dawson racked up 12 points, with Dawson picking up six rebounds and eight assists. Dawson initially started this season coming off the bench, but he has earned the everyday starting position by being the team’s third leading scorer, and a high placer in rebounds and assists. Christofilis has been one of the team’s most consistent scorers, being the team’s three-point specialist with almost 50% of his points coming from three pointers.

This win at Climate Pledge puts Seattle U at 2-0 at the arena this season. Playing at Climate Pledge Arena, formally known as Key Arena, has been a tradition for Seattle U for many years, one of which players and fans alike enjoy. Christofilis grew up going to Seattle U games at the arena and expressed his love for the team and the city.

“I’m a Seattle guy, I’m a hometown guy, I love this city. I’ve been to plenty of Seattle University games at Key Arena at the time… I’m super grateful to be a part of this team,” Christofilis said.

The Redhawks are staying home for the next two games, taking on a couple more conference opponents, Utah Tech Jan. 16 and Southern Utah Jan. 18. The team is looking to make improvements in consistency both on the offense and defense, while recovering from a slow first half of the season. Nevertheless, this Redhawks squad has shown glimpses of the high level of basketball that they can play, and it’ll be fun to see how the team progresses during the second half of the season.