The story of Seattle University’s 76-60 loss tonight at KeyArena comes down to Cal Poly’s decision to sit in a 2-3 zone for most of the game.
At their best moments, they were able to move the ball and force the Mustangs to shift their defense leaving gaps to drive or pass to open cutters.
But for the most part, the Redhawks were unable to establish anything inside consistently and were forced to settle for long jumpers. They unfortunately finished the game 5-for-22 from 3-point range and shot only 27.1 percent from the field overall. When the Redhawks weren’t missing shots, they struggled to move the ball through the zone which resulted in deflected passes and turnovers particularly down the stretch when they were attempting to come back.
Remarkably, the Redhawks managed to stay in the game, particularly by forcing the Mustangs into 14 second half turnovers. And with 11 minutes left, Seattle guard Cervante Burrell hit two free throws to put Seattle U up 41-40. But from that point on the Mustangs were able to establish themselves in the post and get back into that 2-3 zone and daring the Redhawks to shoot.
Cal Poly forward David Hanson led their effort with 19 points on 7-for-13 shooting and center Will Donahue turned it on in the second half with 13 points on 5-for-6 shooting.
For the Redhawks, freshman guard Sterling Carter was impressive with 15 points including 3-for-6 shooting from beyond the arc, but they simply didn’t get enough from the rest of the roster.