ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The No. 5 Washington University in St. Louis men's basketball team opened the 2025-26 season with a 90-78 win over Carroll on Friday evening.

Sophomore Connor May led the Bears with 18 points, nine rebounds, four assists, two blocks, and one steal. Senior Calvin Kapral posted a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds.

Senior Will Grudzinski netted 14 points and dished out four assists, while junior Ryan Cohen also scored 14 points in the win.

It was a slow start for the Bears, who fell behind 7-4 at the 16:40 mark. Down five points, 11-6, with 13:04 on the clock, first-year Theo Rocca scored his first career points as a Bear, netting a 3-pointer on a pass from sophomore Lleyton Thomas-Johnson. A layup from sophomore Anthony Przybilla tied things up at 11-11 at 11:29.

The game was tied again at 13 and 15 before the Bears slowly started to build a lead.

Junior Jake Davis put in a layup to break the tie and May followed with a layup to make it a four-point, 19-15 game. Following a Carroll bucket, first-year Josh Kim scored on a layup and Grudzinski followed with a fastbreak layup off a steal from Davis to make it 23-17 with 7:12 on the clock.

WashU continued to hold a small lead as the clock ticked down. The Pioneers cut it to a three-point game with 3:55 remaining following a Lucas Parker 3-pointer, but the Bears responded with a jumper from Kapral. May followed that with a 3-pointer to put the Bears ahead 32-24.

With 1:26 remaining in the first half, Kapral was fouled after grabbing an offensive rebound and put in a pair of free throws to give the Bears a 36-27 edge at the half.

May opened the second half with an offensive putback, extending WashU's lead into double digits for the first time, making it 38-27.

The Pioneers went on to score 10 straight points, cutting WashU's lead to one point, 38-37 at the 18:04 mark.

Cohen answered with a 3-pointer off a pass from Grudzinski, and Kapral put in a layup, was fouled, and converted the free throw for a 44-37 Bears' lead with 17:04 on the clock.

The Bears continued to hold a several-point lead over Carroll until the 9:33 mark, when the Pioneers put in back-to-back buckets to tie the game at 56 apiece.

May hit a 3-pointer on a pass from junior George Gale before the Pioneers scored five straight points to take their first lead since the first half, 61-59.

May put in a layup to tie it back up at 61, and the game was tied again at 63 before the Bears took the lead back for good.

Przybilla netted a layup and May put in a pair of free throws, followed by a 3-pointer from Cohen to make it 70-63 at the 5:27 mark. Gale added a pair of free throws to extend the Bears' lead to nine points, 72-63.

A 3-pointer from Grudzinski with 3:31 remaining gave the Bears another double-digit lead, 77-67. He then added a pair of free throws, and Cohen scored five straight on a shot from distance and a pair of free throws, putting WashU ahead by 17 points, 84-67.

In the final minutes, the Bears continued to hold a double-digit lead, and the Pioneers never closed the deficit to fewer than 12 points.

Next weekend, the Bears host the 41st Annual Lopata Classic, featuring Eureka, UW-Whitewater, and St. Thomas (TX). WashU hosts Eureka on Friday, Nov. 14 at 5 p.m. and will play either UW-Whitewater or St. Thomas (TX) the following day.

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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.