ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Constant pressure from the start and an all-around scoring performance by the No. 19 Washington University in St. Louis women's basketball team led the Bears to a 94-31 win over the visiting Blue Jays of Westminster on Monday evening inside the Field House.
Fourteen different WashU players scored, with five reaching double figures, led by 14 points from both senior
Jordan Rich and junior
Lexy Harris. Juniors
Sidney Rogers and
Alyssa Hughes, along with sophomore
Hope Drake, also reached double figures with 10 points each.
Junior
Sydney Starks led the Bears with 10 rebounds.
Westminster got on the board first with a jumper in the paint before WashU tied the score up on a basket by Harris at 9:05. After WashU went up by four with just under eight minutes left in the first quarter, the Blue Jays hit a three-pointer and a layup to retake the lead 7-6 with 6:20 remaining. However, it was the last time they would have the lead. A layup and a pair of back-to-back threes by Drake and Starks saw WashU flip the scoreboard and take a seven-point lead with 4:14 left in the period.
The Blue Jays cut the lead down to five at 3:51 before the Bears went on a 15-0 run that stretched into the second quarter. It was capped by a three from
Alyssa Hughes at 8:31 in the second period. After a pair of made free throws by Westminster, WashU went on another long run, this time a 20-0 stretch by the Bears from 7:20 to 2:58 left in the half. A brief lead of 40 was brought back slightly by the Blue Jays on a layup with two seconds left in the half.
The teams traded some points early in the third quarter, with the Bears pushing their lead up slightly to 44 with 6:52 remaining in the third quarter. However, by the end of the period, WashU saw its lead blossom to 54 on a layup from junior
Amelia Rosin with four seconds left, making the score 77-23.
The scoring slowed down slightly for the Bears in the fourth quarter, but WashU still saw its lead tick upwards to 67 with 1:17 left on the clock on a jumper by sophomore
Tara Murphy before settling in for the 94-31 win.
The 31 points allowed were the fewest the Bears have given up since a 77-30 win over Brandeis on Feb. 18, 2024.
Nearly every positive offensive and defensive stat category was won by WashU. The Bears led in points off turnovers (36-8), second-chance points (12-0), bench points (42-20), points in the paint (42-16), fast-break points (18-2), rebounds (45-34), steals (11-8), and blocks (2-0). Westminster was also held to shooting just 13-for-64 (20.3%) for the game.
WashU will have a quick break for exams before playing one more time at home in 2023. The Bears will host Augustana on Friday, Dec. 19 at 1 p.m. before playing a pair of contests in St. Petersburg, Fla. against Southern Virginia (Dec. 29, 1 p.m. ET) and RV Christopher Newport (Dec. 30, 1 p.m. ET). Both games in Florida will be played at Eckerd College.
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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.
