Cleveland, Ohio – The Washington University in St. Louis women's basketball team fell in an overtime heartbreaker 93-89 at Case Western Reserve on Sunday afternoon in University Athletic Association (UAA) play. 

The Bears 10-8 (4-3, UAA) battled back valiantly from an 82-75 deficit in the final 30 seconds and a shot at the buzzer from Maya Arnott sent the contest into overtime, but the Bears were unable to pull out the victory in OT. 

In a game with several ties and lead changes throughout, WashU shot a collective 38 percent from the field and connected on 11 threes, as junior guard Molly Gannon led the Bears with a season-high 21 points. 

Samantha Weaver logged her fourth straight game in double figures scoring and her third double-double of the year with 11 points and 10 rebounds. 

Also reaching double figures scoring was Jessica Brooks and Sammi Matoush with 14 and 12 points, respectively. 

For Case, Abbey Lawrence, the leading scorer in the UAA, led the Spartans with 24 points. 

WashU owned the rebounding margin 54-38 and posted 21 second chance points. In addition, the Bears' bench outscored CWRU 46-18. 

In the opening four minutes of the contest, the Bears got off to a slow start and shot 0-6 from the field and trailed 9-0. 

After a timeout, WashU regrouped and went on a 13-4 run to tie up the contest following a three from Sammi Matoush. 

The Bears were able to reduce the lead down to just one point after the first period at 23-22. 

After closing the gap, it was a tight back-and-forth contest with 48 combined points in the second period. 

WashU had its best shooting effort of the afternoon in the quarter, shooting 55 percent on 10-18 shooting. 

Trailing 40-29, the Bears offense exploded on offense in the final 4:57, outscoring Case 19-5, giving WU a 48-45 half-time lead. 

Despite the slow start, it was a very efficient half for the Bears, who 51percent from the field, 8-15 from three- point range, while outscoring the Spartans' bench 27-7.

The Bears struggled to find consistent scoring in the third period, shooting only 28 percent for the frame, but the Bears' defense limited CWRU to 38 percent shooting. 

After a pair of free throws from Jessica Brooks, WU led 59-55 with just under three minutes left in the quarter, but the Spartans closed out the period knocking down four consecutive field goals to even up the game yet again at 63-63. 

WashU was back in front after a three from Naomi Jackson to start the fourth, but Case would use a 10-2 run to take a 73-68 lead with 3:48 left. 

CWRU remained in front and things looked bleak with 30 seconds left, as the Spartans clutched to an 82-75 advantage, but the Bears refused to back down.

Making the most of its final offensive possessions, the Bears scored on three straight trips, starting with a three-point play from Lauren Chao, a pair of free throws from Books, and a mid-range jumper from Arnott at the buzzer. 

Case missed two free throws and committed a turnover which allowed the Bears to force overtime. 

In OT, WashU was limited to 3-12 shooting and were unable to hit three-point field goal. 

With under two minutes left in OT, the Bears trailed 89-85 and tied up the contest following back-to-back clutch buckets from Weaver and Arnott, but the Spartans would sink four free throws in the final 43 seconds. 

Jackson and Chao each tallied nine points apiece, while Arnott finished with five points and 10 boards. 

The Spartans finished the game with five players reaching double figures scoring. 

WashU now has a four-game homestand as it returns home next weekend for another battle against Carnegie Mellon and Case. The Bears will take on Carnegie at 7:30 p.m. on Friday evening and Case at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday.