By Nick Cannata-Bowman, Staff Writer
The Seattle University men have officially arrived. After starting out the season with a couple of rough losses to Oklahoma State and Portland, things now are beginning to look up in the wake of a 91-87 victory over Weber State on Sunday afternoon. As satisfying as the win is, the final score doesn't paint an accurate picture of the way the game played out; SU was even stronger than the numbers would suggest.
Up until the final few minutes, the Redhawks were dominant in all aspects of competition. In the first half, Weber State had no answer for the unstoppable inside game of forward Charles Garcia, who was getting to the basket while facing little to no resistance. With slow rotations on its double-teams of Garcia, Weber could not figure out how to stop Seattle U's inside game.
The turning points of the game came in a multi-possession sequence that began with 9:20 to go in the first half. Garcia got the ball at the top of the key, as the lane to the basket parted like the Red Sea. After a thunderous dunk, Garcia pulled down a defensive rebound on the other end and crossed the length of the floor for an easy layup that was accompanied by a foul. Garcia's dunk was the catalyst for a 14-4 Redhawk run that turned a four-point deficit into a six-point lead.
As the first half came to a close, Garcia had thrown 22 points on the board, accounting for almost half of Seattle U's 48 first-half points. The second half opened with another lengthy Redhawk run, which any fan would have expected to be the final nail in the coffin for the visiting Wildcats.
Seizing control of the tempo of the game, it seemed as though nothing would stop SU. With as much as a 15-point lead with 7:38 to go in the game, it appeared as though the Redhawks were cruising to an easy victory. Even with a largely dormant second half game by Garcia, the rest of Seattle U's lineup picked up the slack and provided a balanced attack. Aaron Broussard, Chris Gweth, Cervante Burrell, and Mike Boxley all scoring in double figures for the Redhawks, who blended well together and showed a great deal of cohesion at the offensive end of the floor. SU's offensive performance represented a considerable upgrade over Thursday night's more uneven display against Fresno State.
With a comfortable lead and very little time left, the game was all but won. But then the Redhawks' defense started to get lazy. Playing man-to-man, Seattle U started dropping back on its defense assignments behind the arc, allowing Weber State to shoot easy 3-pointer after easy 3-pointer. What was originally shaping up as a blowout win quickly turned into a close game. With the outcome on the line, Garcia awoke from his second-half slumber to finish off the Wildcats in the final few minutes of regulation. A layup and a free throw later, SU had established a comfortable cushion once again, with the Redhawks emerging victorious for the second time in a row.
This is not a bad start to the Redhawks' occupancy of Key Arena by any stretch of the mind. Next, Cameron Dollar's club will go back on the road to take on the University of Utah, hoping that its home momentum carries over to the Mountain time zone.
E-mail: cannatab@seattleu.edu
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