Milwaukee, Wis., November 12, 2021 –The Washington University in St. Louis women's basketball team fell in its season-opener against Wisconsin-La Crosse at the Paul Knueppel Classic in Milwaukee on Friday evening by a score of 65-54.

Friday's opener marked 622 days since the Bears had last played in an official contest (Feb. 29, 2020).

After a back-and-forth opening quarter with five different lead changes, UWL led 16-13.

Trailing 18-13 early in the second period, WashU quickly tied the game up after a 5-0 run capped off by a three from Molly Gannon.

WashU found themselves down a possession at 25-22 moments later, but this time the Bears struggled to score throughout the remainder of the quarter. UWL outscored WashU 12-2 in the final five minutes, taking a 37-24 lead at the break.

The Eagles shot 50 percent from the floor in the second quarter as 11 different players scored for UWL throughout the game.

In the second half of action, the Bears quickly sliced a 13-point deficit down to eight at 39-31 after a pair of Hayley Semple free throws. Trying to gather momentum to rally back into the game, UW-La Crosse made things difficult for the Bears again as they would close the period on an 11-6 run to extend their lead back out to 13 at 50-37.

Despite facing a 13-point margin again in the fourth quarter, WashU had a productive fourth quarter, shooting 40 percent from both the field and three-point range.

A 10-2 run from the Bears cut the lead back down to eight at 62-54 following a three from Kaite Minkler, as WashU outscored UWL in the fourth 17-15.

The Bears had two players reach double figures scoring, as junior Maya Arnott led the team with a double-double effort of 12 points and 11 rebounds in her WashU debut.

Jessica Brooks scored 11 points and was 3-4 from the free throw line. Karisa Grandison notched seven points, while both Hayley Semple and Katie Minkler chipped in with six points apiece.

WashU committed 16 turnovers in the loss and finished 4-25 from three-point territory.

Statistically, the Bears shot 18-56 from the field for 32 percent. In addition, WashU finished the contest shooting 14-21 from the foul line and scored 12 points off turnovers.

The Bears are back in action tomorrow afternoon at 3:00 p.m. against Wisconsin Lutheran in Milwaukee.