ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The No. 10 Washington University in St. Louis men's basketball team opened its season with a 90-69 win over Bethany Lutheran in the Field House in the second game of the 42
nd Annual Lopata Classic on Friday evening.
Five different Bears scored in double figures including four with 14 points. Junior
Anthony Przybilla had 14 points and eight rebounds, sophomore
Josh Kim had 14 points, five rebounds and five assists, senior
Ryan Cohen scored 14 points and had four rebounds, senior
George Gale had 14 points with six rebounds and sophomore
Theo Rocca scored 12 points with six rebounds.
Gale scored the first points of the 2026-27 season, netting a hook shot for a quick 2-0 edge.
Bethany Lutheran went up 5-2 but back-to-back layups from Kim put the Bears ahead 6-5 at 17:15.
The teams exchanged baskets over the next couple of minutes. Down just one point, junior
Lleyton Thomas-Johnson put in two-straight buckets for an 11-8 advantage at 14:35.
Tied at 14 apiece midway through the first half, the Vikings went on a 6-0 run for a 20-14 lead. Another 4-0 run extended the lead to eight points, 26-18 with 6:04 remaining in the first half and a 3-pointer from Mason King bumped it to nine points, 29-20.
Senior
Jake Davis put in a layup and Rocca drained a shot from distance to cut the Vikings' lead to four points, 29-25 with 4:26 on the clock.
Bethany Lutheran continued to hold a several-point lead as the clock ticked down. At 2:50, Cohen put in a layup and Kim followed with a pair of free throws. Rocca added another layup with less than two minutes remaining to close the distance to two points, 33-31.
A pair of free throws from Przybilla sent the Bears into halftime trailing 35-33.
The Bears and Vikings began the second half with trading baskets and Bethany Lutheran went up 47-43 at 16:10. Gale and Kim each put in a layup for a 47-47 game and starting what would ultimately be a 14-0 run to put WashU ahead 57-47 at 12:34.
Bethany Lutheran cut it to seven points before the Bears went on an 11-0 stretch for a 70-52 lead at 8:29. A 3-pointer from Cohen extended the lead to 20-points, 73-53, and following a layup from Vikings, Cohen drained another 3-pointer for a 76-55 lead at 6:44.
The Bears continued to hold a 20+ point lead, going up by as many as 26 points at 4:29 on an offensive putback from Gale.
Three first-years scored their first collegiate points including five from
Stryckland Whittley-Ligon and two each from
Lars Osteraas and
Barron Linnekens.
As a team, the Bears were 32-for-62 (51.6%) including 7-for-18 (38.9%) from 3-point range. WashU edged the Vikings 44-31 on the boards and the Bears forced 15 turnovers with 13 steals.
WashU will play in the 42
nd Annual Lopata Classic championship game against No. 5 Gustavus Adolphus at 6 p.m.
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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.
