ST. LOUIS, Mo. – It was still cold outside, but it was hot in the Field House as the No. 15 Washington University in St. Louis women's basketball team completed the evening sweep of No. 18 Emory with a 67-56 win over the Eagles on Friday night. Just before the women's contest, the WashU men's team knocked off the No. 1 Emory men's team, 89-74.
Prior to the contest, the Bears honored the legacy of Justin Hardy '22, who passed away from stomach cancer, with a special recognition as part of Think Pink night.
Junior
Lexy Harris led all scorers with 28 points while adding 15 rebounds for her seventh double-double of the season. Classmate
Sidney Rogers also reached double figures with 14 points while adding three rebounds, three assists, and a pair of steals.
The contest went back and forth early, with the teams trading leads throughout the first quarter. The Bears had a one-point lead on a layup from Harris at 7:07, but a 9-0 run by the Eagles gave them a five-point lead with just over five and a half minutes left in the period.
WashU was able to bring it down to four points on a tip-in basket from Harris with 1:23 left, but Emory put their advantage back up to six with 57 seconds left on the clock as the first quarter ended.
A quick Eagles basket put them back up by eight just over 30 seconds into the second quarter. Trailing by six with 5:39 on the clock, the Bears got a jumper from Harris and a three from senior
Jordan Rich to trail by just one point, 24-23, at 4:20.
WashU would tie the score up at 26-26 and again at 30-30 with the teams heading into the locker room at halftime all tied up.
After trading baskets to open the second half, WashU got the lead back on a layup from Rogers at 7:23. Emory would chip away and once again regain the lead, putting themselves up by four with less than five minutes left in the period.
A pair of free throws by junior
Alyssa Hughes at 1:30 and a layup from classmate
Amelia Rosin with 47 seconds left in the quarter saw the Bears take a 49-48 lead into the final 10 minutes of action.
The Bears would score the first six points of the fourth quarter while putting the Eagles into a scoring drought until a layup at 6:57 cut the WashU lead down to five. A three from Rogers with just over five minutes left saw the Bears take the first double-digit lead for either team on the night, 60-50.
A pair of late free throws by junior
Sydney Starks and another by Rogers saw WashU hit a 13-point advantage before settling in for the 11-point win over its top-25 foe, 67-56. The Bears outscored Emory 18-8 in the final period.
Despite trailing 38-37 in rebounds, WashU led in second-chance points 20-13. The Bears also had the advantage in points off turnovers (14-13), points in the paint (38-26), and fast break points (6-2).
WashU is home again on Sunday with a 12 p.m. game against Rochester.
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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.
