The Seattle University men’s basketball team was down six points with 26 seconds left in the game. This was how the Redhawks’ last home game of the 2024-25 season would end, with a victory over the Grand Canyon University (GCU) Lopes just out of reach March 1.

Despite the best efforts of a hungry Redhawk squad, a win never came. A successful 3-point play from Maleek Arington and a layup from Paris Dawson brought the team within one point of victory. The nine remaining seconds were not enough to stop GCU.

Senior guard Dawson fought hard for every one of the 27 minutes he played Saturday. Dawson had few words for his feelings after the game.

“Mixed emotions,” Dawson said. “I wanted to get the win, but overall it was mixed emotions.”

Redshirt Junior guard John Christofilis, a steady shooter who made one of four attempted 3-point shots, had his eyes on Nevada and the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) tournament after the game.

“We competed in the second half. We held them to 26 points,” Christofilis said. “I really truly believe that we’ll see [GCU] again in Vegas.”

Seattle U trailed by 14 points going into the second half. Head coach Chris Victor must have said something to inspire the team during halftime; the team changed their tune in the second half, scoring 37 points to GCU’s 26.

The pep band packed up their instruments, fans put their university-provided red light sticks away and Rudy (who inexplicably unveiled his ability to perform backflips during a second half dance break) flew back to his nest. The packed student section brought the energy for Senior Night, with five graduating Redhawks moving on at the end of this season.

Seniors Kobe Williamson, Dawson, Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe, Vasja Pandža and Viktor Rajković received flowers and posed with their families before the game. Williamson, a Senior forward, hopes to return home to Australia after graduating with a degree in biochemistry.

“SU has been great to me for the five years that I’ve been here, so it’s nice just hearing the fans in the stadium for one last time,” Williamson said.

Christofilis, currently in his second season at Seattle U, echoed Williamson’s appreciation for the support.

“It’s great to see the Redhawk faithful come out and support us. We feed off that energy and we’re thankful that they came out to support the seniors on the team,” Christofilis said.

Whether or not the Lopes and their voracious Seattle fans, owed to the school’s large online education program, will return to the Redhawk Center is up in the air. GCU announced in November that they would not follow Seattle U to the WCC, as initially announced, instead joining the Mountain West conference in 2026. The Lopes hope to make the move even sooner, meaning there could be no more conference rivalry between the two schools.

The flames of Redhawk opposition are not quite out. As Christofilis noted, there is one last chance for a Seattle U-GCU faceoff in the WAC with the tournament, which runs March 11-15. 

Christofilis sees Saturday’s loss as an extra push toward this final battle.

“We’re hungrier. We have something to prove. I believe we’re going to peak at the right time,” Christofilis said.

The last time Seattle U faced GCU at home, the boys in red were able to mount a comeback to win 86-79 in a thriller of a second half. While conference realignment threatens the future of Lope hatred on 14th Avenue, all eyes are on the final two games against Southern Utah and Utah Tech, as well as the WAC Tournament.