Late Free Throw Seals Redhawks’ 79-78 Victory at UC Davis, Runs Win Streak to Four Games
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Seattle Redhawks forward Will Heimbrodt drives to the basket during a game against UC Davis. Credit: Seattle U Men's Basketball/Instagram [/caption]
DAVIS, Calif. - After his first free throw clanked off the rim, Seattle Redhawks forward Will Heimbrodt could have let the pressure get to him with his team locked in a tied game on the road with just two seconds left to play.
But demonstrating short-term memory and quickly shaking off the miss, Heimbrodt calmly knocked down the second shot from the charity stripe, securing a thrilling 79-78 win for the Redhawks over the UC Davis Aggies.
Sitting at 9-2, the Redhawks are off their best start since the 1968-69 season and with the challenge of hosting a 7-3 Washington Huskies squad on Friday night at Climate Pledge Arena looming, they had to scratch and claw to keep their historic start intact with the pesky Aggies not making things easy on them.
Seattle U jumped out to an early double-digit lead thanks to a hot start from beyond the arc. Near the halfway point of the first half, the Redhawks led 23-9 with six three pointers finding the bottom of the net. Adjusting to that barrage, the Aggies switched to a zone defense that started to give the ‘Hawks trouble. Along with their defense holding up, the home team’s offense started to find its footing and heat up from distance themselves. UC Davis finished the half with eight three pointers and cut what was a 14-point Seattle lead to a 43-43 tie at halftime.
As Seattle’s offense struggled to find their shot, it was their presence on the glass that gave them an advantage against the Aggies in the second half in a tight game that stayed within one possession for most of the final 20 minutes. The Redhawks outrebounded the Aggies 42-29, including 15-5 in the offensive rebound department, regularly creating second chance opportunities.
Playing a role in that domination, sophomore Austin Maurer helped control the paint with a season-high 14 points, nine rebounds, and five offensive boards in 22 minutes. Senior Junseok Yeo finished with 15 points on 6-11 shooting from the field, including three for six from three, and grabbed nine rebounds.
But with a relatively quiet night from leading scorer Brayden Maldonado, who finished with 12 points, the Redhawks leaned on Heimbrodt all night to pick up the slack. He finished with 20 points and found success attacking the basket and pushing the pace in transition. The sophomore also made his impact on the defensive end, recording a game-high four blocks and making multiple crucial plays late on that side of the ball.
Among his most notable highlights, with a little over a minute to play and the Redhawks clinging to a 76-74 lead, Heimbrodt stood tall on his shot contest of UC Davis’s Nils Coopers as he drove to the basket and did not foul, forcing a missed layup and a change of possession. That stop proved to be critical down the stretch, allowing Heimbrodt’s free throw to seal the deal and clinch a fourth straight win for Seattle U.
Overcoming a slow start to turn the game into a nail biter, the Aggies offense leaned on Isaiah Chappel, who finished with 20, Connor Sevilla finishing with 15 points, and Brayden Fagbemi adding 15 points off the bench in defeat.
Already with a victory on the road over Stanford earlier this season, the Redhawks will now turn their attention to the opportunity to knock off another former Pac-12 squad on Friday night in the Huskies, who recently picked up a big win over UCLA and have taken a positive step forward in coach Danny Sprinkle’s second season. The neutral court battle will serve as another litmus test to see how Seattle U stacks up against Power 4 competition before settling into West Coast Conference play.
