UW men’s basketball fend off Seattle University, 77-62
Dawgs improve to 3-0 with hard-fought win in front of home crowd
TJ Bamba's 19 points, Keion Brooks and Cameron Christie's 15 points each propel UW to a victory.
The University of Washington men’s basketball team (3-0) defeated Seattle University (1-2) 77-62 at Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion on Monday night.
The win marked Washington's third straight victory in as many games, while Seattle U fell to 1-2 in their early season. The Dawgs were led by TJ Bamba's 19 points, while Keion Brooks and Cameron Christie contributed 15 points apiece.
The game opened with points being traded back and forth between both teams. The Dawgs led by just 3 points, 21-18, at the halfway mark of the first half. The Redhawks retook the lead from Washington at the 11:34 mark of the first half but would hold the lead for only 29 seconds. Washington fought to pull ahead and never trailed again after they went back up 22-21.
The second half began with the Redhawks nipping at the Dawgs heels but Washington’s defense held and kept the lead to 5 points at the first media timeout of the second half. Both teams again traded points and kept the game in single digits heading into the last six minutes of play. Up ten, 61-51, the Dawgs held Seattle U scoreless while scoring five more points putting the game out of reach. The Dawgs bench exploded with excitement with 3:10 left in the game after a dunk by Jackson Grant putting Washington up by 15 points.
With 2:24 left in the game, Brooks fouled out and had to leave the court. The Dawgs had a comfortable lead but losing Brooks could have rattled the team. Undeterred, Bamba and Christie stepped up and kept the lead around 15 points. A dunk by Bamba off a nice pass by Christie gave the Dawgs their biggest lead of the night of 69-53 with 2:10 remaining in the game. The Redhawks would score to bring it back to 15 after an attempted three pointer by Christie was off the mark. Christie redeemed himself with a made three pointer with 25 seconds left in the game, before the Redhawks hit a three of their own. The game ended with the Dawgs on top 77-62.
Bamba, who was 8-of-12 shooting from the field, led the Dawgs in scoring for the third straight game. The senior guard also added seven rebounds, four assists, and three steals.
Brooks, a transfer from Kentucky, hit 6-of-11 from the field and was a perfect 3-of-3 from the free throw line. The 6-foot-7 forward also grabbed five rebounds.
For Seattle U, Cameron Tyson led three players in double-figure scoring with 17 points. The 6-foot-8 forward was 8-of-11 from the field and grabbed seven rebounds.
The Dawgs will be back in action on Friday, November 18, when they face off against Montana State at Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. PT and the game will be streamed live on the Pac-12 Network.
