Seattle U. victorious in first D-I home game

Joe Callero waited eight years for this game and for most of the first half, the Seattle University coach buried his head in his hands. His Redhawks were ruining their NCAA Division I homecoming with a litany of mistakes.

This wasn't the game Callero had imagined. Not the ill-advised shots and the silly turnovers against the outmanned and winless Loyola Marymount Lions.

After a sluggish first half, the Redhawks, buoyed by the enthusiasm of the crowd of 4,835 Thursday night at KeyArena, overwhelmed the Lions defensively and sank timely shots to capture a 49-39 men's basketball victory.

"I thought that last five or seven minutes was a great college-basketball atmosphere," Callero said. "We had the wave going on there for a minute. I think our players got excited about that. There's not a doubt in that last 10 minutes you could see the fatigue factor settling in on them and the adrenaline rush kind of going to our guys.

"This is where the Seattle Sonics had played. This is where major Division I games and competition is every year."

It took the Redhawks (8-5) awhile to get comfortable in their likely new home. School officials are negotiating with the city of Seattle on a long-term KeyArena lease, and the deal is expected to be finalized within a few months.

Seattle University was hoping to wear down injury-riddled Loyola Marymount in the late stages of a slow-tempo contest in which both teams combined for just two fast-break points. The Lions, who relied primarily on a six-man rotation, had just nine players on the bench and were ill-equipped to play a hotly contested game for 40 minutes.

Freshman forward Aaron Broussard unlocked a 32-32 tie midway through the second half with a putback and a layup that gave the Redhawks a lead they would never relinquish. Michael Wright and Drew Harris added layups, Mike Boxley sank a three-pointer, and Chris Gweth sealed it with a pair of baskets in the final two minutes.

"I just took what was given to me," said Gweth, who scored a game-high 12 points and collected eight rebounds. "We don't have one player who's going to dominate the game. I just happened to get the ball at the end of the game and get the shot."

Senior forward Austen Powers had 11 rebounds and nine points for Seattle U. For the Lions (0-15), LaRon Armsted and Jarred DuBois each scored 10 points for the Lions.

"We've been waiting for this for a long time," Powers said. "They've been advertising this for months, and this was a day that we'd been waiting for this whole year. Finally it came, and we were ready."

In the first half, the Redhawks had difficulty solving the Lions' 2-3 zone, which forced them into seven turnovers and several hurried long jump shots that rattled out. Seattle U. missed 12 of its first 16 field goals and trailed 21-12.

"I could feel the tension in our players and their desire to perform well," Callero said. "Here's the biggest stage that we've been on locally. They knew this was a big-time opportunity. The light was going to shine brightly on them, and you could see that in the first 20 minutes."

In the second half, Seattle U. held Loyola Marymount to 14 points and just a pair of field goals on 2 for 18 shooting.

After the game, several players ran into the first row of the stands at KeyArena near the student section and celebrated for several minutes with fans and alumni.

The Redhawks travel to Portland on Sunday and play five games at SU's the Connolly Center.

"All of these people that have seen us play here, they'll come to the Connolly Center and hopefully we can pack that place, too," Powers said.

Percy Allen: 206-464-2278 or pallen@seattletimes.com

Box score

Percentages: FG .400, FT .571. Three-point goals: 5-18, .278 (Gweth 2-5, Harris 1-2, Powers 1-4, Boxley 1-4, Olson 0-1, Burl 0-1, Broussard 0-1). Team rebounds: 3. Blocked shots: 2 (Boxley, Wright). Turnovers: 11 (Burl 4, Powers 2, Swanson 2, Broussard 2, Boxley). Steals: 7 (Boxley 2, Powers, Harris, Gweth, Burl, Wright). Technical fouls: None.

Attendance: 4,835. Officials: Kevin Brill, Mike Partlow, Mark Cook.