Over 4,000 fans were in attendance at Climate Pledge Arena Dec. 19 to witness Seattle University Men’s Basketball defeat their crosstown rivals, University of Washington (UW), for the second year in a row at the annual Battle for Seattle, 70-66. These two teams last faced off Dec. 23, 2024, where Seattle U came out victorious over UW for the first time since 1978, 79-70. The win Friday night marks the first time in program history that the Redhawks have defeated the Huskies in back-to-back contests.  

Seattle U is currently off to their best start in almost 60 years, holding a 10-2 record through their first 12 games. Seattle U picked up big wins against the likes of Stanford and now UW. The last time the Redhawks  held a 10-2 record was during the 1966-67 season (then known as the Chieftains), when they started their season 11-2. The Friday game began with neither team shooting the ball well throughout the first half. The Huskies went 13-35 on field goals during the first half, while Seattle U shot even worse, going 10-33 from the field. With a slightly better offensive showing, UW went into halftime up 26-29. 

The second half was characterized by much more aggression; the Huskies came out of the gate hot. In the first few minutes, they got up by nine points, bringing the score to 31-40 with 15:33 left to play. The Redhawks’ offense settled in, showing that the team can score from all parts of the court. Not only did the Redhawks begin to heat up, but so did the crowd. After every made jumper, free throw and especially slam dunks, the arena would erupt with cheers for the home team. 

Slowly chipping away at the lead, they tied the game and eventually went ahead on multiple occasions throughout the half. The Redhawks shot 50% from the field during the second half.

The final minutes were nerve-wracking in Friday’s matchup. The score was tied 62-62 with 1:02 left in the game when sophomore center Austin Maurer drained a jumper to give the Redhawks the lead. Senior guard Maleek Arington was fouled soon after bringing Seattle U to the line and after making both free throws. The Redhawks took a two-score lead, 66-62. 

Washington’s Desmond Claude drained two free throws of his own, bringing Seattle U’s lead to just two points, 66-64, with 37 seconds left in the game. Both teams went on to trade free throws with Claude getting back up to the line two more times for UW, going 4-4. On the Redhawks end, Maurer and Arington continued their perfect night from the free throw line.  

With 10 seconds left, UW regained possession of the ball and worked their way back up the court. Washington’s Hannes Steinbach missed a three-point attempt that prompted a wrestling match to recover the rebound. UW’s Quimari Peterson gained possession of the ball for the Huskies, who then put up a shot at the buzzer that was no good, solidifying the win for the Redhawks, 70-66. 

“It’s a great day to be a Redhawk,” Maurer said. 

Maurer, who earned his second start as a Redhawk Friday night, has had impressive showings in his last couple of games. Maurer had a career night, tallying a career high 19 points with five rebounds, three blocks and going a perfect 4-4 from the free throw line against the Huskies. This came just days after he put up 14 points against UC Davis, his previous career high. During this game, Maurer showed that he can compete against the best, taking on the challenge of going 1-on-1 with UW’s Steinbach, who is projected to go first round in the NBA Draft. 

“I’m proud of him, honestly, an unbelievable player. He’s a skill player… in the post he’s got skills in both hands, he’s a good player inside and out,” Head Coach Chris Victor said. 

To make up for their lack of a strong offensive showing, Seattle U compensated by playing hard defense. The Redhawks took away the driving lane for the Huskies, the strongest part of their game, forcing them to shoot the ball. UW, as a team, currently shoots only 33% from beyond the arc and under 50% overall from the field. UW ended this matchup shooting only 36% from the field and going 1-15 from three. 

“We were never up all game. There were a lot of lead changes, didn’t shoot the ball too well… we play hard, play defense, play the right way,” Senior guard Brayden Maldonado said. 

At the time of publication, the Redhawks have finished non-conference play, defeating UTSA Dec. 22, 71-68. The team comes back home Dec. 28 for their first conference game, the first in the West Coast Conference, taking on the University of San Francisco at the Redhawk Center.