The Huskies Hold Off Seattle University 91-83

Seattle University put up the biggest fight against the University of Washington since this inner-city matchup was rekindled a few years ago. This game came down to the final minutes as Seattle U was able to fight the whole game with UW while only leading once (2-0).

The Huskies were leading the Redhawks 13 points at the half but Seattle U Coach Cameron Dollar had a trick up his sleeve in the second half. Seattle U came out playing full-court trap press and the Huskies couldn’t handle it. The Redhawks were able to battle back and tie the game multiple times but could never take the lead.

Game Notes and Thoughts:

• This matchup was more heated than in the years past. While Dollar has been known in the past for coaching his players to be annoying against UW, this year Seattle U showed a lot more aggression (at no fault to Dollar, in my opinion). There was even a moment where players were face to face and yelling at each other. Tony Wroten walked away with a technical foul and TJ Diop received a flagrant foul.
• The game was ugly for both teams, Seattle U had 17 turnovers and UW had 16.
• Another ugly stat- Seattle U had 37 personal fouls, with 5 players fouling out. UW had 24 fouls and Darnell Gant fouled out for the Dawgs.
• The Huskies attempted 59 free-throws and made 37, 62.7%. This isn’t great, but considering the team this year, it could have been a lot worse. Tony Wroten was 12-18 at the line.
• Abdul Gaddy nearly played the whole game, he logged 38 minutes. This is probably due to the fact that he was able to take care of the ball in the full-court press. He had 7 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal.
• Aziz N’Diaye was a beast in the first half, he nearly had a double-double in the first half. However, in the second wasn’t able to be as efficient due to the change of defense by Seattle U. He ended the game with 14 points and 13 rebounds.
• Desmond Simmons was an animal, he had some very impressive rebounds and put-backs. He started tonight and has earned that spot, no one plays harder or more physical than Simmons. He had 5 points and 7 rebounds.
• CJ Wilcox has a new career high in 25 points. He started the game cold but quickly heated up and went 4-7 from deep and also went 9-11 from the line.
• Tony Wroten was incredible in this game too, there were a few “Freshman” moments, when he would try to go for the highlight instead of the smart play. However, you can’t argue with the production and impact he has on the court. He had 24 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds, and 6 turnovers. There was a scary moment in the game when he was fouled and landed hard on his tailbone. He was checked out by the medical staff and came back on the court shortly after. (My guess is that he will be really sore tomorrow.)
• Terrence Ross was hot in the early goings but also wasn’t able to find a solid rhythm in the second half (this could be due to his 4 fouls). He ended with 12 points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 2 steals.
• Shawn Kemp Jr. saw a handful of minutes and he looks to be improving but there is just not enough time to see him.
• Darnell Gant is still a frustrating player, you could say he is a role player but with Simmons providing a similar but more productive role, Gant needs to improve.

That’s it for now. Any other thoughts or observations that you have? Feel free to include them below.