ST. LOUIS, Mo. – On the afternoon that the No. 15 Washington University in St. Louis women's basketball team recognized National Girls & Women in Sports Day, the Bears used a stingy defense throughout against Rochester to pick up a 62-55 win over the Yellowjackets.
With the win, WashU improves to 14-4 overall and 5-2 in the UAA.
Three Bears reached double figures, led by junior
Lexy Harris' 17 points. Classmates
Sidney Rogers and
Catherine Goodwin also reached double-digit points with 14 and 10, respectively.
A slow start by Rochester saw WashU take a three-point lead on a layup from Goodwin at 7:12 in the first quarter, 6-3. However, the Yellowjackets responded with an 8-0 run to take a five-point advantage over the Bears at the 4:40 mark.
A three-pointer from Rogers and a layup from Harris tied the score at 13-13 with 2:15 left in the period. WashU continued its 11-0 scoring run to end the quarter up six points, 19-13.
A jumper from senior
Jordan Rich to start the second quarter saw the lead bloom to eight, just eight seconds into the period, 21-13. The Yellowjackets tried to chip away and brought their deficit down to three on several occasions, but WashU responded each time, maintaining a four-point lead at 4:24.
A UofR layup with just under two minutes left in the half was answered with a jumper from Rogers to put WashU ahead 33-30 as the teams headed into the locker room.
The Yellowjackets came out hot to start the third quarter, retaking the lead on a three-pointer just under two minutes into the second half. They built it up to as many as six in the period with 3:32 on the clock, 46-40.
However, once again the Bears went on a scoring run to end a period, this time a 9-0 stretch over the final 3:32 to regain the lead by three, 49-46.
The scoring drought for UofR continued into the fourth quarter, lasting from 3:32 in the third until 6:51 of the fourth quarter. Less than two minutes later, a layup from Rogers extended the WashU lead to seven, 55-48.
The Yellowjackets then attempted a comeback, bringing the WashU lead down to just one with 1:54 left in the quarter. Pairs of made free throws by juniors
Amelia Rosin and
Sydney Starks put the Bears back ahead by five with just 30 seconds left. After a missed jumper by UofR, Goodwin was fouled and made both free throws, allowing WashU to settle in for the 62-55 win.
As a team, the Bears led in points off turnovers (14-13), points in the paint (36-22), fast-break points (8-6), and second-chance points (4-2).
WashU is on the road next weekend when they replay this weekend with visits to No. 18 Emory on Friday, Feb. 6 at 7:30 p.m. ET and Rochester on Sunday, Feb. 8 at 12 p.m. ET.
------------------------------------------
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.
