Milwaukee, Wis., November 13, 2021 – The Washington University in St. Louis women's basketball team fell at Wisconsin Lutheran in a close 69-66 battle on Saturday afternoon at the Paul F. Knueppel Classic in Milwaukee.

WashU nearly rallied late from a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter, but drops its second game of the season and moves to 0-2 overall.

It was a slow start on Saturday for the Bears, who fell behind 11-3 in the first five minutes of the game. After a timeout, WashU bounced back and ended the quarter outscoring WLC 11-7 to cut the lead down to 18-14.

In the second period, WU got within two points after a pair of Lauren Chao free throws with 4:38 remaining at 25-23. Back-to-back three-point field goals from Wisconsin Lutheran pushed the lead back out to 31-23 and the Warriors led 35-28 at halftime.

WashU kept the contest within one possession three different times in the third quarter and a triple from Brenna Loftus had the Bears within a point at 39-38 with under four minutes to go in the period.

WLC closed out the final three minutes of the quarter on a 12-4 run as WashU's offense went cold, shooting 27 percent for the frame.

Despite facing a double-digit deficit early in the fourth, the Bears did not back down. Trailing 61-51 with three minutes to go, WashU chipped away at the deficit and got the lead down to one possession. Following a three-point play from Maya Arnott, the lead was cut down to 64-61 with 45 seconds to play.

Arnott had a big fourth quarter, scoring 10 points and shooting 50 percent from the field. WU outscored WLC 24-18 in the final quarter. 

However, WashU could not come up with a defensive rebound on the ensuing WLC possession which forced the Bears to foul.

The Warriors led 67-63 with 11 seconds to play, but a pull-up three from Molly Gannon brought the lead down to one again with six seconds left.

Wisconsin Lutheran hit a pair of free throws and then a three by Gannon with two seconds left to tie the game was no good, as the Bears' comeback fell just short.

WashU was led by forward Maya Arnott, who tallied her second consecutive double-double with 18 points and 14 rebounds on 7-14 shooting.

Karisa Grandison also cracked double figures scoring with 10 points as she finished 8-10 from the free throw line.

Gannon added eight points with three rebounds and two assists. Naomi Jackson led the Bears with five assists and also recorded seven points. Lauren Chao registered seven points off the bench. Statistically, WashU had 27 bench points in total and saw 10 different players reach the scoring column.

Wisconsin Lutheran shot 37 percent from the floor, and WashU finished 18-51 for 35 percent. Additionally, the Bears were 6-21 from three and 24-33 from the foul line.

WashU is back in action on Sunday, November 21 at Rhodes College for a non-conference contest.