By Nick Cannata-Bowman, Staff Writer
SEATTLE--What started out as a rough debut season for new coach Joan Bonvicini has quickly taken a welcome turn. After kicking off the season with six straight losses, the Redhawk women have won back-to-back games, with last night's win versus Pacific Lutheran University taken in decisive fashion.
The first minutes of the game were characterized by shot clock violations on multiple possessions, as the Redhawks offense couldn't work the ball from the perimeter into the paint. Three minutes into the game, Seattle University had barely managed to scrape up a hard-earned five points. Soon thereafter, however, the team that won its first game of the season two days earlier managed to rediscover its winning ways. The Redhawk women sped up the tempo of the game to take a commanding first half lead of 38-16.
Largely inefficient out of a set offense, the Redhawks found their rhythm once the pace of the game sped up. On the strength of defensive stops behind the 3-point arc, SU guards Cassidy Murillo and Kourtney Park changed the tenor of the proceedings. PLU's offense was barely able to function inside the arc, as the zone defense employed by Bonvicini called for one guard to put pressure on the ball at all times. More often than not, this ended in a steal followed by a basket in transition. Simply put, Seattle U outran Pacific Lutheran up and down the floor, penetrating to the basket for easy layups at will.
The second half was more of the same, except at this point Seattle U's guards were sinking threes at a 47-percent success rate, up from their 33-percent clip from the first half. Leading the way with 16 points, four 3-pointers, and 4 blocks, Ashley Brown was by far the MVP of the game. Not to be outdone, forward Maggie McCarthy led the way on the defensive end with 5 steals and unrelenting defense on the ball.
With a refreshing blowout win to build some confidence on the cusp of a tough December schedule, the Redhawk women are headed in the right direction. Next up is a brief road trip to California to face UC Irvine, followed by a much-anticipated matchup with the University of Washington at the Connolly Center on December 9.
E-mail: cannatab@seattleu.edu
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