Redhawks Blow Chances Late, Fall to Tigers 61-58 in WCC Tournament

Seattle U had three looks late to tie their third round battle against Pacific on Saturday night. A missed Will Heimbrodt layup, missed Brayden Maldonado layup, and a missed Maldonado three will all continue to play in the Redhawks heads as they head back home following a 61-58 loss at Orleans Arena that ended their season earlier than hoped. 

In the first half, Seattle looked like it was in the driver’s seat. Junseok Yeo led the Redhawks with nine first half points, but in his matchup with Pacific’s Elias Ralph, he picked up his second foul, forcing head coach Chris Victor to take him out with about five minutes left before halftime. After Yeo’s substitution, the Tigers stormed back. They closed out the half on a 16-1 run, fueled by six Seattle turnovers.

As a result, Seattle trailed 32-29 at halftime after leading for much of the half, but Victor’s squad kept the game within at least two possessions until the six-minute mark. The Tigers strung together a 10-0 run off the back of three Seattle turnovers to push the lead to 53-43. This sequence of miscues dug a hole that proved to be too big for the Redhawks to climb out of, though they certainly made a valiant effort to do so in the closing minutes.