Seattle University men’s basketball team advanced in the National Invitation Tournament with a 67-52 victory against St. Thomas on March 17 at Redhawk Center.
The win marks Seattle U’s first-ever NIT victory and only its third appearance in the tournament, with the last coming in 1957. The Redhawks’ strong defensive performance was key to their success, holding St. Thomas—one of the top shooting teams in NCAA Division I—to just 37.5 percent from the field and a season-low 52 points.
Brayden Maldonado led Seattle U with 15 points, while Will Heimbrodt contributed 13 points and three blocked shots. Junseok Yeo added 12 points, and Jojo Murphy and John Christofilis each scored ten off the bench. Head coach Chris Victor said, “They’re a really good offensive team and they play a unique style. The way they play is tough for anyone to guard. We had to make some adjustments – this wasn’t a standard game for us.”
Victor also highlighted his team’s defensive effort: “When our guys got comfortable and understood what they were guarding and kind of got their feet underneath them a little bit, the defense switched,” he said. “We’ve played tough and physical at the defensive end all year. This might be one of our best defensive performances of the season.”
After trailing early in the second half, Seattle U put together two decisive scoring runs, including an 11-0 stretch that gave them control late in the game. Maldonado said, “We were kind of feeling them out and getting used to their style of play. Once we started getting the feel of it, we talked it up in the huddle, made some adjustments, and I thought it was really good from there on out.”
The Redhawks will next face Auburn in Alabama for a round-of-16 matchup on Sunday, March 22.
