Redhawks Stumble in WCC Opener, Fall 67-59 to Dons

SEATTLE, Wash. - Coming into Sunday night, the Seattle Redhawks were off to their best start in 58 years, riding the momentum of a six-game winning streak to close out their non-conference schedule. But it was the San Francisco Dons that played spoiler to open West Coast Conference play, taking a 67-59 victory in the Redhawk Center.

While the Redhawks had been tested through non-conference, including posting wins over Stanford and Washington, San Francisco entered the WCC schedule tested as well. The Dons came into Sunday with an 8-5 record and after playing six teams inside the top 100 rankings, they controlled the game for a majority of the night.

While Seattle only trailed by two points at halftime after a sluggish offensive start from both teams, the Dons started to find their groove on offense in the second half. With a little over six minutes remaining in the final 20 minutes, the Dons had built an 11-point lead, their biggest advantage of the evening.

With that said, the game wasn’t over at that point, as Seattle fought back valiantly. A 9-2 run fueled by a couple of buckets from Brayden Maldonado cut the Don lead to just two with 2:15 to play. But like a spark, it vanished as a couple of empty possessions and fouls on the other end put the game out of reach, opening a new conference season with disappointment.

Leading up to Sunday, the Dons defense ranked second in points allowed per game in the WCC, giving up just 69 points per game. They looked the part in the WCC opener, forcing the Redhawks into tough looks all night. Brayden Maldonado finished with 14 points and three assists, but longer and taller San Francisco defenders made life tough for the senior as he finished the game shooting 5-16 from the field.

Will Heimbrodt finished with 14 points, 10 rebounds, and three blocks, finding success getting by defenders while failing to capitalize on several opportunities to finish at the rim. Coming off his two best games, Austin Maurer struggled to find his shot and despite getting plenty of touches in the paint, the Dons’ defense stood tall and held him to 2-10 shooting. He also struggled with foul trouble, getting four fouls as San Francisco attacked him early and often.

Hoping to shake off a challenging defeat in quick order, the Redhawks won’t have much time to sulk about the results from Sunday night, as they will duel with the Washington State Cougars at the Redhawk Center on Tuesday seeking their first WCC win.