Brayden Maldonado’s Heroics in Return Lead Redhawks to 71-66 Win Over Lions
In his first game back in the lineup, Brayden Maldonado did not miss a beat, having his best game of the season and helping the Seattle Redhawks get over a second-half hump that has plagued them all season for the 71-66 over LMU Saturday night at the Gersten Pavilion.
Maldonado returned to the lineup after missing the previous three games with an injury and finished with a season-high 33 points. He put the Redhawks on his shoulders offensively, impacting the game in a variety of ways.
Coming off screens, the Lions opted not to send multiple defenders at him, and the guard found his way into the paint driving to the hoop frequently. He attempted 12 free throws and converted on nine of them. He also matched a season-high in three pointers made with six. He made multiple tough shots coming off screens and gave LMU defenders trouble all night.
After Consecutive Run-Rules, Gonzaga Baseball Salvages Series vs. No. 13 Oklahoma
Initially outclassed in its first series of the season against a ranked opponent, Gonzaga baseball (3-7) left its series against No. 13 Oklahoma (10-2) on a high note.
It’s difficult to swing a series loss positively, but even while being run-ruled by the Sooners in each of the first two games of the series, the Bulldogs showed signs of life by the end of the weekend. The set culminated in a 7-1 victory where GU’s pitching staff truly stifled OU’s offense, with a southpaw spinning a quality start and a freshman right-hander continuing to dominate.
What steps did the Zags take at Kimrey Family Stadium?
Cougars Capsized by Waves, Lose 88-79 in Malibu
Closing out what has been a frustrating and disappointing regular season, the Washington State Cougars couldn’t overcome a poor start and dropped their finale in an 88–79 loss to Pepperdine in Malibu.
Despite the final score appearing somewhat competitive, the game was far more lopsided than the final score suggests, as Washington State used a garbage time run to make the end tally seem closer than it really was. The Cougars trailed by as many as 20 points with 8:30 remaining in the second half and were still down 16, 74–58, with just five minutes to play before a late run narrowed the gap.
With the loss, Washington State falls to 12–19 overall and 7–11 in West Coast Conference play, finishing eighth in the conference standings. In a year full of bad losses, this latest setback may be arguably the team’s most disappointing of the season, coming against a Pepperdine squad that entered the matchup in last place in the WCC. Even more concerning is the Cougars’ continued inability to win away from home. Washington State finished the regular season with just one Division I road victory outside the state of Washington.
Dominique Malonga, Former Storm Coach 1 Win Away From Unrivaled Championship Appearance
Seattle Storm star Dominique Malonga and former franchise head coach Noelle Quinn are one win away from reaching the Unrivaled championship.
Malonga and Quinn’s Breeze handily beat the Rose 69-50 on Saturday, Feb. 28, to advance to the semifinals. The duo of Malonga, the 2025 WNBA No. 2 overall pick, and Paige Bueckers, the first pick, have been dominant in Unrivaled this season.
Gonzaga WBB Falls 92-91 to Portland in Tight, Overtime Affair
The final score certainly doesn’t do an accurate job of depicting how this game unfolded. A physical contest between Gonzaga women’s basketball (22-9, 14-4) and Portland (17-13, 11-7), filled with fouls and turnovers, led to the Pilots edging out a 92-91 overtime victory at home, denying the Bulldogs a share of the WCC regular-season title.
Much like UP has done all season, it pressed, trapped, and was as opportunistic as possible on the Zags to limit attempts from beyond the arc and also keep them from the restricted area. Entering play Saturday as the second-best three-point shooting team in the country, GU only connected on a season-low two tries from deep, even while playing five periods. On the other side, Portland hit 13 threes of its own – several of the clutch variety – and forced 28 turnovers to gut out a narrow win.
That final turnover tally would be the highest Gonzaga has committed all season, and they happened in all shapes and sizes on Saturday. Inbounding the ball was an issue early as guards weren’t given much space, leading to forced and errant passes. When the ball did get brought up the floor, traps were sent that rushed swing passes, and the Pilots jumped into passing lanes. Eventually, the Zags' frustration grew, yielding self-inflicted wounds such as turnovers and offensive fouls that extended scoring droughts, such as a six-minute stretch during an eight-turnover second period.
Jordan Eberle, Kraken Right the Ship Against Rival Canucks in 5-1 Victory
The Kraken got off to a slow start following the Olympic break. They dropped back-to-back games on the road to come out of the break, by a combined score of 9-2. After entering the Olympic break in a strong playoff spot, Seattle’s position in the Western Conference looked tenuous out of the gate following the games in Milan.
Luckily for the Kraken, the worst team in the NHL showed up at Climate Pledge Arena, in the Vancouver Canucks.
Saint Mary's Erupts in Second Half, Defeats No. 9 Gonzaga 70-59
A tale of two halves might be an understatement. Opening the final regular-season WCC matchup between rivals Gonzaga (28-3, 16-2) and Saint Mary’s (27-4, 16-2), it was the Bulldogs who brought the energy to UCU Pavilion. Graham Ike was great in the first 20 minutes, gesturing back to the Gael Force, SMC’s student section, each time he converted a field goal. Saint Mary’s was hesitant to push the ball inside, taking more shots from beyond the arc than inside it, with its star forward Paulius Murauskas as the poster player for that style of basketball.
But the continuous three-point shooting became a weapon for the Gaels in the second half, while the Zags couldn’t come up with an answer. Ike was held to only four points after halftime and also fouled out with 3:45 to play. It was Gaels guard Mikey Lewis who stole the show, scoring a career-high 31 points with seven made threes, leading a ferocious attack that helped SMC surge to a 70-59 win and clinch at least a share of the conference regular-season title for the fourth consecutive season.
“I thought our defense was excellent in the first half. To me, it was a tale of two halves,” Few said. “…They were definitely the tougher team in the second half.”
Sounders Continue to Struggle in Sandy, Suffer First Loss of 2026 vs. RSL
The Seattle Sounders ran into a familiar wall in Real Salt Lake on Saturday night, losing 2-1 against a short-handed young squad in Sandy.
Standing out for RSL was 18-year-old Zavier Gozo, who had a definitive hand in each goal, and keeper Rafael Cabral, whose six saves placed the 35-year-old firmly atop man-of-the-match conversations.
Cristian Roldan opened his 2026 scoring account with a header off a corner from Albert Rusnak, but his score started what turned out to be a doomed comeback attempt. By the end of the night, the Sounders extended arguably the most notorious current club streak — Seattle is now 0-13-3 at America First Field since 2011.
2026 NFL Combine: 6 Potential Seahawks Targets Who Impressed on Day 2 of Workouts
Ushering in the next stage of the NFL offseason for the Seattle Seahawks and all 32 teams, the annual NFL Scouting Combine kicked into full throttle with cornerbacks and safeties participating in on-field athletic testing and drill work on Friday.
Which players who could be on Seattle’s radar heading into the 2026 NFL Draft improved their stock the most? Here are six prospects who starred on Day 2 at Lucas Oil Stadium:
Chris Johnson, CB, San Diego State
Arguably the best cornerback in college football last season, at least statistically, Johnson locked down Mountain West receivers from start to finish. Earning MWC Defensive Player of the Year honors in his third season as a starter for the Aztecs, he held opposing quarterbacks to a ridiculous 16.1 passer rating and under a 42% completion rate while giving up no touchdowns, intercepting four passes, and producing five pass breakups. But leading up to the combine, questions persisted about level of competition and his overall athleticism, clouding his prognosis as a draft prospect.
Washington an Offensive No Show on Detlef Schrempf Jersey Retirement Night
Shortly after seeing his No. 22 jersey revealed in the Hec Edmundson Pavilion rafters during halftime of a Huskies 90-73 loss to Wisconsin, University of Washington legendary men’s basketball player Detlef Schrempf was asked to give a statement to the media.
“About the game?” he quipped, after watching his alma mater fall behind 36-21.
After the second half resumed, as the native of Germany got up to head back out to the court to join his family and former Washington and Seattle SuperSonics teammates, he said, “Let’s get a win. How ‘bout it?”
Former Sonic Gary “The Glove” Payton, Shawn “Reign Man” Kemp and Sam “Big Smooth” Perkins all showed up to see their former teammate honored. The 2025-26 Huskies never quite made it, though.
Washington State Blows Another Halftime Lead in Embarrassing 67-66 Loss to LMU
Continuing to excel at snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, the Washington State Cougars suffered yet another brutal loss on Wednesday night, falling 67-66 to Loyola Marymount after blowing a 15-point halftime lead. It was a loss that felt all too familiar for a team that has struggled to put together a full 40-minute game this season.
Washington State looked to be in complete control early. The Cougars stormed into halftime with a commanding 39-24 advantage, getting whatever they wanted on offense for the most part and forcing LMU to take contested two-point jump shots away from the basket.
But as has been the case too frequently this season, the second half was a different game for all of the worst reasons as a double-digit lead evaporated and the Lions came roaring back to steal the win. Wednesday night adds to a growing list of games in which Washington State has surrendered sizable second-half leads, as the Cougars have now lost games while being up 12,17, and 15 points in the final 20 minutes this year.
Free Agent Primer: Will Rashid Shaheed Return to Run it Back With Seahawks in ‘26?
With a new league year slated to kick off on March 11, the Seahawks have nine unrestricted free agents scheduled to test the market along with seven restricted free agents and two exclusive rights free agents. Compared to prior seasons, general manager John Schneider has more financial flexibility at his disposal with OverTheCap.com listing the franchise as sixth in available effective cap space ($62 million), but with several big name stars in line for extensions such as All-Pro receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, the team won’t be able to keep everyone after running the table to hoist the Lombardi Trophy.
Over the next several weeks, using statistics courtesy of Pro Football Focus and TruMedia, I will break down each and every one of the Seahawks' unrestricted free agents by revisiting their 2025 seasons, assessing why they should or should not be re-signed, breaking down an ideal contract, and making an early prediction on whether or not the player will return in 2026.
After sending Lumen Field into a frenzy with multiple kick and punt returns for touchdowns following his midseason arrival via trade, will the Seahawks be able to bring back speedy receiver and special teams ace Rashid Shaheed? Or will his market prove to be too expensive with numerous other suitors in pursuit?
‘Not Out of the Question’ Mariners Top Prospect Colt Emerson Earns Opening Day Spot
The Seattle Mariners first round pick from 2023, Colt Emerson, is making waves in big league camp in 2026. Heading into this season, he ranks No. 9 overall per MLB Pipeline and one of the best shortstop prospects.
Spring training is still early, so things remain fluid. Recent coverage describes his path as "well within reach," drawing direct parallels to how Julio Rodríguez forced his way onto the roster in 2022. So far in spring action, he is 4-for-11 (.364) with a triple and three RBI. He certainly is making a good impression thus far in camp.
Only four Mariners hitters have produced a faster exit velocity this spring than Emerson’s 111.6 MPH. Is he set to make the Opening Day roster?
2026 NFL Combine: 6 Potential Seahawks Targets Who Impressed on Day 1 of Workouts
Ushering in the next stage of the NFL offseason for the Seattle Seahawks and all 32 teams, the annual NFL Scouting Combine kicked off in earnest on Thursday with linebackers and EDGE defenders participating in on-field athletic testing and drill work.
Which players who could be on Seattle’s radar heading into the 2026 NFL Draft improved their stock the most? Here are six prospects who starred on Day 1 at Lucas Oil Stadium:
Jacob Rodriguez, LB, Texas Tech
An inside linebacker who finishes with votes in Heisman Trophy balloting shouldn’t be viewed as an overlooked talent or a sleeper going into the NFL draft process. But even after racking up over 250 combined tackles, five interceptions, and 10 forced fumbles in his final two seasons dominating in Lubbock and earning All-American honors, Rodriguez entered the combine with questions about his production being able to translate to the next level due to athleticism concerns.
Allie Turner Nails Nine Threes, Wills Gonzaga WBB to Win Over Saint Mary's
For most of this season for Gonzaga women’s basketball (22-8, 14-3), redshirt freshman Lauren Whittaker has stolen the show. Averaging 19 points and 10.2 rebounds on 55.6% shooting, she has tied the WCC record with 12 Freshman of the Week awards and has a chance to break the record next week. But in the majority of the Bulldogs’ last home game against Saint Mary’s (15-15, 6-11) Thursday night, the Gaels did about as good a job as any team has at limiting the first-year forward offensively.
So who better to step up in Whittaker’s place than sophomore Allie Turner, who connected on nine three-pointers to tie Michelle Elliot for the most made by a Bulldog in a game. After a stellar freshman season of her own, Turner has taken more of a secondary role this year in deference to Whittaker. But she delivered a career-high 29 points to power her squad to a 75-67 win over Saint Mary’s on Senior Night, as the Zags keep pace at the top of the conference standings.
Kraken Struggle to Shake Bad Habits in 5-1 Loss to Blues
It wasn’t pretty, but it was exactly what the Seattle Kraken wanted.
After allowing three tip-in goals in a 4-1 loss to the Dallas Stars the night before, the Kraken expressed a desire, a necessity, to throw more pucks on net to create scoring chances for themselves.
“We just need to get pucks towards the net, and get a greasy one,” defenseman Ryker Evans told reporters in Dallas after Wednesday’s game. “We were just trying to make a fancy play or just pass it, and we just need to get it to the net.”
So after Seattle allowed two goals in the first 95 seconds of the second period against the St. Louis Blues to go down 3-1 on Thursday, it appeared Evans followed through when the Kraken needed someone to cut the deficit.
Recapping Reign's Offseason So Far: Productive Coachella Trip Wraps Up
The Seattle Reign are about as short-handed as a team can be right now. With players like forward Maddie Dahlien, keeper Claudia Dickey, defender Jordyn Bugg, forward Jordyn Huitema and others away on international duty, the Reign had assistant coaches playing keeper at times in Thursday's practice at Starfire Sports in Tukwila.
With the current international break looming, Seattle used the last two weeks to travel to California for the Coachella Valley Invitational for the second straight season. The team played two closed-door scrimmages against San Diego and Utah and one televised friendly against Angel City, a 1-0 win.
Analysis: What Exactly Makes Strong Rob Refsnyder Season Quite Likely for Mariners?
When he went up against a right-handed pitcher between 2022 and 2025, Red Sox outfielder Rob Refsnyder hit .235 with an on-base percentage of .315 and a slugging percentage of .355. Few people in baseball talk about those numbers, because that’s not why the Mariners paid him $6.25 million in December or why the rest of the league is waiting with baited breath to see what the 35-year-old has in store at T-Mobile Park.
Refsnyder’s slash line against lefties in those four years? .312/.407/.516. Against all pitchers, just four players have maintained a .924 OPS or better since 2022: Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani, Juan Soto, and Yordan Alvarez. Obviously, Refsnyder isn’t quite in their league (since he’s just doing this against left-handers), but that’s the whole point of a platoon. When it comes to splits versus lefties, Refsnyder’s last four years have been the seventh best among guys with 250 or more plate appearances spread among the past four years.
Diving deeper into the data, we can see even more evidence that Refsnyder sees the ball very well when he has the platoon advantage: he walks 12.8% of the time when a southpaw is on the mound, around the rate that Nick Kurtz drew free passes during the 2025 season. His .407 on-base percentage against left-handers is the third highest since 2022, only less than Judge and Paul Goldschmidt.
Will Heimbrodt’s Career Night Lifts Redhawks to 87-80 Road Win vs. Waves
WCC play has been up and down for Wiil Heimbrodt, but in the wake of guard Brayden Maldonado's injury, the playmaking forward has stepped up. On Wednesday night, the sophomore put together the best performance of his career at the perfect time to lead the Redhawks to an 87-80 win over the Pepperdine Waves.
Igniting a hot Seattle U offense, Heimbrodt finished with 24 points on 10-13 shooting from the field, matching a career-high, along with five assists, five blocks, four rebounds, and four steals. From the tip, he represented a matchup nightmare for the Waves. No one in the backcourt could match his physicality, and no one in the front court could keep up with his speed. Niine of his field goals came in the paint, and he got to the rim in a multitude of ways.
Gonzaga Cruises in Senior Night Win Over Portland, Clinches No. 1 Seed in WCC
There was no semblance of an upset this time around. In Gonzaga’s final game of the season at the McCarthey Athletic Center, the Bulldogs (28-2, 16-1) annihilated Portland (12-18, 5-12) on Senior Night 89-48, clinching the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament and at least a share of the regular season title in the program’s final year as a member of the WCC.
It capped off their first undefeated season at home since 2021-22, and with the Zags cutting down the net on their home court afterwards, the postgame emotions were certainly different compared to when they suffered their lone conference loss to the Pilots three weeks ago. It was a true beatdown on both ends, as GU notched its largest margin of defeat of West Coast play, and its most lopsided victory since Dec. 7, when it beat North Florida by 51.
Fueling Portland in its previous matchup against Gonzaga was freshman Joel Foxwell, who drilled several contested and back-breaking shots on the way to a 27-point performance. His game tonight started similarly, as he knocked down two stepback three-pointers over Mario Saint-Supéry before drawing a foul on a third attempt from distance. But his scoring magic did not continue, with the Bulldogs locking in defensively on Foxwell – who finished with just 12 points on 4-of-12 shooting – and the rest of the Pilots’ offense to hold them to several scoreless stretches.
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