By Nick Cannata-Bowman, Staff Writer
SEATTLE-- The court lights dimmed. Elgin Baylor's face appeared on the jumbotron, the fans in the vast expanse of Key Arena stood up and cheered, and the starting lineups were announced. Having officially moved out of the snug confines of the Connolly Center, Seattle University Basketball was ready to begin the long trek back to Division I glory. Step one of this journey was to win a game, and the pressure to do so was on after tough losses to Oklahoma State and the University of Portland to kick off the season. In the words of Seattle University President Stephen Sundborg, it was time to "get off the bench and back in the game."
Back in the game indeed.
It required a long and bumpy road to get there, but the relentless Redhawks found the winner's circle on a thrilling Thursday night. Using frenetic pressure defense in the final minutes, SU - down 81-75 with only 1:52 left - created the steals and easy baskets it needed in a wild and wonderful 85-84 win over Fresno State. The victory was the first of the Cameron Dollar era at SU, a moment celebrated by the coach and his father, SU assistant coach Don Dollar. The Dollar duo hugged near the scorer's table, celebrating a sweetly shared family triumph, after an impassioned comeback by a very plucky basketball team.
The starting five for Seattle U came out of the gates flat in the opening minutes of the game. A couple substitutions later, though, the offense came into full swing. The first half was the Charles Garcia Show, a usual occurrence in this young season. While SU was struggling to shoot from the perimeter, Garcia was found in the low post pounding his way to the basket and drawing fouls. When the Redhawks couldn't defend in the paint against a fast, athletic Fresno State lineup, Garcia waited on the blocks to deny any attackers. When Fresno State started double-teaming Garcia on the low post, he was setting up his teammates for easy jumpers on the perimeter.
In the midst of all this, Seattle University was forcing turnovers left and right with a relentless full-court press and an up-tempo game that never seemed to let up. Throughout the first half, the Redhawks had complete control of the tempo of the game, forcing wayward passes and bad looks from the Bulldogs. Up by as many as 10 points in the first half, it seemed as though Seattle was cruising to an easy victory over an established D-I program from the Western Athletic Conference. When the first half came to a close, the score was 39-31 in favor of the Redhawks.
But then the second half happened, a fact of life but - at the outset - a distinctly negative one for the home team at the newly-christened Elgin Baylor Court at Key Arena.
From the get-go after halftime, Seattle U hit a roadblock. Over a period of over four minutes, the Redhawks managed just two points, allowing Fresno State to come charging back. The Redhawks were forced to play a small lineup around Garcia, with their other big man, Gavin Gillmore, struggling on both ends of the court. Gillmore's replacement, the 6'8'' forward Alex Jones, picked up a quick three fouls and was promptly removed from the game. This left coach Cameron Dollar with no choice but to run out a unit of five that was hard-pressed to handle a relentless Fresno offense that consistently attacked the paint. Seattle University's lack of size on the defensive end became painfully evident possession after possession, as the Bulldogs created a steady stream of uncontested shots.
One timeout later (and a courtside screaming session courtesy of Dollar), the Redhawks resumed where they had left off in the first half...or so it seemed. With Garcia powering into the paint, it became evident that the game would come down to late free throws. Inside the five-minute mark of regulation (at 4:49 and then at 3:43), Garcia missed three of four free crucial throws, setting a disturbing trend for the rest of the Redhawks. Guard Chris Gweth got to the line soon after Garcia, and split his two shots from the charity stripe. Forward Aaron Broussard came to the line after a hard foul only to miss both of his free throws. Next came point-guard Cervante Burrell, who split a pair. Suddenly the Redhawks were down late in the game, missing enough free throws to drive any coach up a wall. In total, Seattle University missed 13 of 30 free throws on the evening.
In the end though, it didn't matter.
On the strength of clutch three-pointers and key defensive stops, the Redhawks pulled an 85-84 victory out of the hat, as full-court pressure produced two straight turnovers from beleaguered Fresno guard Steven Shepp. The Redhawks turned a pair of steals into scores and took an 83-82 lead in the final minute. After Fresno retook an 84-83 advantage on a layup by Greg Smith with 24 seconds left, it was Burrell who won it for SU on a lay-in with 8.3 seconds to go.
Seattle U should use this game as both a cautionary tale and a guidebook on how to come back in the face of adversity. On one hand, this team should spend its time between now and Sunday's game versus Weber State doing nothing but shooting free throws. On the other, the Redhawks will get (and need) a well-deserved two days off while they bask in the glow of their first victory in this historic Division I season.
You can contact me with any questions or comments at cannatab@seattleu.edu.
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