Seattle U Storms Past St. Thomas in Historic NIT Victory
The Redhawks are headed to the second round, and they did it in style. Seattle U rolled past St. Thomas 67-52 on Thursday night at the Redhawks Center in front of a packed crowd of 686, cementing one of the biggest moments in program history. This was only Seattle U's third-ever NIT appearance and their first since 1957. Not bad for a team that's still building something special.
A Slow Start, A Strong Second Half
Let's be honest, the Redhawks looked shaky early. St. Thomas came out aggressive and Seattle U found themselves trailing 18-8 and 20-10 in the opening minutes. Coach Chris Victor wasn't sugarcoating it: "We were on our heels to start. We were unsure and they were definitely the aggressors to start the game." Even with a towering front line anchored by 7-foot sophomore center Austin Maurer, 6-10 backup Dan Houran, and 6-8 forward Junseok Yeo, the Redhawks got outrebounded 42-29 and outscored 28-18 in the paint. That's not how you're supposed to win with size like that.
But Seattle U adjusted. A 20-6 run powered by three-pointers from Jojo Murphy, John Christofilis, Brayden Maldonado, and Yeo gave them their first lead at 25-23. St. Thomas answered with five straight points to take a 31-30 halftime lead, but the Redhawks had found their rhythm.
Lockdown Defense When It Mattered Most
The second half told a completely different story. After falling behind 37-30 early in the period, Seattle U flipped the switch. Maldonado hit free throws and found Yeo for a three-pointer capping a 13-2 run that put them ahead 43-39. From there, the Redhawks defense took over. They outscored St. Thomas 37-21 in the second half and held the Tommies to just four points in the final seven minutes. That's not luck, that's discipline.
Maldonado led the way with 14 points, six rebounds, and five assists. Yeo added 12 points while Christofilis and Murphy each chipped in 10 off the bench. Seattle U shot 37% overall and connected on nine of 21 from three-point range.
Next Up: Auburn
This 21-10 Redhawks team is going places. In their first year in the WCC, they've already notched wins over Stanford and Washington, finished tied for fifth in conference, and won 20 games. Now they're headed to Auburn on Saturday or Sunday for a second-round matchup with the Tigers (18-16). This will be Seattle U's first-ever game against Auburn, and a win puts them in the NIT quarterfinals. Sophomore guard Will Heimbrodt put it perfectly: "We've shown that we can beat some really good teams... it's going to be real fun."
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This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.