ST. LOUIS, Mo. – It was a tough challenge for the No. 15 Washington University in St. Louis women's basketball team on Friday night when they took on the No. 1 NYU Violets at the Field House. The Bears had the lead after the first 10 minutes on the top-ranked team, but NYU had a strong second quarter to pull away and held on in the second half for a 77-64 win over WashU.

Junior Lexy Harris had a team-high 22 points while also grabbing seven rebounds. Classmate Alyssa Hughes also reached double figures with 14 points.

The first quarter saw the Bears take a slim lead and maintain that throughout the first quarter. WashU took a four-point lead at 7:49 on a layup from Harris and again at 7:10. A Violets layup at 5:40 would see the WashU lead trimmed down to just one, before growing back up to four at 3:34 on a tip-in from junior Amelia Rosin.

NYU would tie the score at 16-16 before a last-second layup from junior Sidney Rogers put the Bears up by two after the first 10 minutes.

WashU would still have a two-point lead on a layup from Hughes at 8:13 in the second quarter. However, NYU responded with an 8-0 run to take a six-point lead over the Bears at 6:24. Over the next four minutes, the Violets would slowly grow their advantage up to 10 with a three-pointer at 2:25.

They would take that lead into the locker room on a buzzer-beating jumper by Yasmene Clark.

The Bears would trim their deficit down to just seven in the first minute and a half on a three from Hughes, but the Violets slowly responded by outscoring WashU 18-12 in the third quarter. Their biggest lead of the quarter came with 22 seconds left as they headed to the final period up 56-40.

WashU came out strong to start the fourth, scoring the first five points on a layup by junior Sydney Starks just 45 seconds into the period. NYU responded by growing the lead up to its highest at 21, at 69-48.

Three made free throws by Hughes with 44 seconds left saw the Bears pull back within 11, but the Violets would keep WashU off the boards and make a pair of their own free throws to seal the 13-point win, 77-64.

As a team, the Bears controlled the middle, outscoring NYU 50-32 in the paint. WashU also held the Violets, who came into the contest averaging 23.7 steals per game, to just six takeaways.

WashU is back home on Sunday at 2 p.m. against Brandeis. Due to the expected impact on travel by the incoming winter storm in the St. Louis area this weekend, only authorized and essential personnel will be permitted at the women's and men's basketball games on Sunday afternoon against Brandeis.

No fans will be permitted into the game, however you can watch the games live, featuring play-by-play from Jay Murry, on FloSports and follow stats HERE.

 
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