ST. LOUIS, Mo. - The Washington University in St. Louis women's basketball team erased a seven-point halftime deficit by utilizing a strong third stanza and a career shooting performance from first year
Alyssa Hughes to overpower Case Western Reserve University, 82-65, Sunday, January 28 in University Athletic Association action.
WashU outscored CWRU by 15 in the third quarter to lift the Bears' overall record to 11-7 (4-3 UAA). With the loss, CWRU's record sits at 8-10 (1-6 UAA).
Hughes led the Bears with a 20-point performance on a 5-of-8 day from beyond the arc. Hughes' five made long balls earned her a new career-high in both points and threes. Hughes finished the evening shooting 6-of-9 from the floor and 3-of-4 from the charity stripe.
Senior
Jessica Brooks manufactured a 16-point, seven rebound performance. Brooks connected on 6-of-11 from the field and 4-of-5 from the free throw stripe.
First year
Lexy Harris nearly grabbed another double-double. Harris ended the contest with 13-points and eight rebounds.
As a team, WashU's offense drilled 32-of-56 (57.1%) from the floor, 10-of-17 (58.8%) from the free throw line, and 8-of-23 (34.8%) from distance.
The Bears compiled a sizeable points in the paint advantage, 48-22, over the Spartans. WashU's offensive glass prowess earned the Bears a 17-10 advantage in second chance points. The Bears bench outscored CWRU's bench by 15.
WashU wasted little time scoring in the opening frame. Off the won tip by Harris, Goodwin corralled the ball and connected on a layup just three seconds into the contest. After a Spartan basket, the Bears sunk back-to-back opportunities to take the early 6-2 lead with 8:01 left in the first.
Later in the frame, after a McBeth offensive rebound, Rogers buried a long ball to give WashU the 11-7 cushion with 6:16 remaining in the opening quarter.
After back-and-forth play, the Spartans recorded a 4-0 run to take the one point, 17-16, lead with just 2:16 remaining in the first. CWRU hit a jumper with under a minute left to take the 19-17 first quarter lead.
In the second stanza, CWRU dialed up a quick eight point run to snag the 27-19 lead with 7:22 left until intermission. With the Spartans leading the entire second quarter, CWRU nailed a late bucket to generate the 40-33 halftime lead.
Just under three minutes into the third quarter, CWRU saw its seven-point cushion sit at just one, 42-41, on a Brooks layup. After two made Spartan free throws to put the score at 46-43, Brooks recorded a four-point run of her own as the Bears took the slim, 47-46, lead with 3:44 left in the third.
After a flurry of buckets by both teams, Rogers found Hughes on the wing and Hughes drilled a momentum shifting three with just two seconds on the clock to give WashU the eight-point, 61-53, lead heading to the fourth quarter.
In the fourth, the Bears went on a 5-0 run to expand its cushion to 11, 68-57. The run featured two free throws from Brooks and a three from Hughes.
Following a made long ball from CWRU, WashU countered with a 6-0 run to widen its lead to 14, 74-60, with 5:26 left in the contest. The run saw points from Brooks, McBeth, and Goodwin.
Harris, after grabbing an offensive board, registered a tip-in and-one to run WashU's lead to 17, 80-63, with the scoreboard sitting at 2:21 remaining.
The Bears would run out the clock to earn the UAA win, in come from behind fashion, by the final score of 82-65.
WashU will hit the road for a crucial four-game UAA stretch. WashU is set to begin its road trip with a bout against Carnegie Mellon University, Friday, February 2. Tip-ff from Pittsburgh, Pa. is slated for 5:30 p.m. EST.
