ST. LOUIS, Mo. – What started off as a slow-scoring game turned into a strong offensive performance for the RV Washington University in St. Louis women's basketball team in its opening game of the 24th Annual McWilliams Classic on Friday evening, as the Bears secured a 94-53 win over Benedictine.
Junior
Lexy Harris led all scorers with 19 points while adding 12 rebounds for her second double-double of the season. Right behind her was classmate
Alyssa Hughes, who tallied 18 points, grabbed four rebounds, and collected a pair of blocks. Junior
Sidney Rogers was the third WashU player to reach double figures in scoring with 10 points.
Quick scoring by both teams to start the contest saw WashU take a 4-2 lead less than a minute into the game on a layup from junior
Catherine Goodwin. Scoring then became a premium, as it was not until a layup from junior
Jordan Rich at 6:41, which gave the Bears a 6-2 lead, that any points were added to the board.
A three-pointer by Hughes at 5:01 was followed by another scoring drought for both teams before a tip-in rebound by sophomore
Ava Blagojevich with 1:36 left in the quarter saw WashU push their lead up to eight. Another quick flurry of scoring by both teams saw the Bears hold a 19-11 lead after the first 10 minutes.
The second quarter was much more even, with scoring throughout. WashU saw their lead blossom up to 13-17 on a jumper by Harris at 4:32 before Benedictine was able to pull back within 11 at the break.
The teams traded baskets to start the third quarter, with the Eagles scoring a layup at 8:43 to make it 38-27. However, Benedictine did not find the basket for nearly four minutes and did not get another point until a layup at 4:57, with WashU still holding onto a 43-29 lead. Over the next nearly minute and a half, the Bears pushed their lead up to 21. The Eagles then traded points with WashU before the Bears scored seven points in the last 52 seconds, including a long pass from Harris to Hughes for a layup just as the horn sounded.
Leading 66-39 as the teams entered the fourth quarter, the Bears did not let up from the field. Still maintaining a 27-point lead with 6:54 left in the contest, the Bears went on an 11-0 run started by a jumper from junior
Sydney Starks and capped by a free throw from first-year
Reid Seddelmeyer at 2:42. The closest the Eagles got the rest of the way was 36 points, with just under two minutes left, before the Bears settled in for the 94-53 victory.
Fourteen different Bears scored in the win, as WashU led in almost every offensive category. The Bears led in points off turnovers (19-10), second-chance points (23-6), bench points (35-33), points in the paint (56-24), and fast break points (7-4). As a team, WashU went 37-for-64 (57.8%) from the field and 13-for-20 (65%) from the free-throw line. The Bears thoroughly controlled the boards, grabbing the rebound edge 53-21.
WashU will take on Elmhurst tomorrow at 6 p.m. in the McWilliams Classic championship. The Bluejays defeated Rose-Hulman 72-51 in the first game of the classic.
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Elevating scholar-champions requires resources beyond the institutional budget. Through the W Club, generous alumni, parents, and friends provide unrestricted support that is essential to the extraordinary WashU student-athlete experience—and the ongoing growth and development of the department. Annual support for Athletics allows the Bears to consistently rise to national levels of competition and ensures that our student-athletes enjoy exceptional opportunities as they train, compete, and lead. To make a gift to the Annual Fund for Athletics, please visit our secure online giving form or contact the Athletics Advancement Office at athletics@wustl.edu.
