DELAWARE, Ohio – Despite a late comeback attempt by the region host, No. 15 Washington University in St. Louis women's basketball held on for a 73-68 win over No. 16 Ohio Wesleyan. The Bears are Sweet 16 bound with the win over the Battling Bishops!

WashU improved to 21-6 on the season and reached the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2018-19 season.

Junior Lexy Harris led all scorers with 24 points while finishing with eight rebounds as well. Classmate Sidney Rogers also reached the 20+ scoring mark with her 21 points. She finished with a game-high five assists.

Points were plentiful early in the first quarter with the Battling Bishops leading 7-6 less than two minutes into the contest. The teams then traded free throws before OWU saw their lead bloom to three. A quick 4-0 run, capped by a layup from junior Amelia Rosin at 5:28, gave the lead back to the Bears for the second time, 12-11.

The back-and-forth continued over the next two minutes with Rosin hitting a jumper at 3:43 to tie the score at 16-16. Rosin would hit a free throw a minute later to give WashU their third lead of the game before the Battling Bishops took it back for the fourth time on a jumper with 1:40 left in the period. The Bears then held OWU scoreless the rest of the period while hitting a free throw from senior Jordan Rich at :57 and a three from Rogers with just nine seconds left to take a 21-18 lead into the second quarter.

After Sophia Roush tied the game for OWU just 20 seconds into the second quarter, the Bears went on a 9-0 run from 9:23, on a pair of free throws from Harris, down to a jumper from Rogers at 3:29, giving WashU a 30-21 lead.

The Battling Bishops ended their nearly six-minute scoring drought with a jumper at 3:15 and followed with a three and a layup by Maddie Ebbert to cut the lead down to just two points with 1:00 before the break.

Rosin hit a layup with :33 left on the clock, and a last-second heave by OWU did not go in as the Bears led by four, 32-28, at the intermission.

While the scoring was not as frequent, the teams traded baskets to start the second half with WashU slowly building its lead back up to eight on a jumper from Harris at 5:53, 41-33. The Battling Bishops answered with a 4-0 run before the Bears went back up by seven with just 2:23 left in the period. A layup by OWU cut the lead down to just five with 41 seconds remaining as WashU had a 48-43 lead going into the final 10 minutes of action.

The fourth quarter started like most of the others as the Bears started to trade baskets and slowly built up their lead. They took their first double-digit lead on a layup from Harris at 7:41, 56-45. After it was trimmed down to nine, another layup from Harris and a jumper from sophomore Catherine Goodwin gave WashU its biggest lead of the night at 14 with just 6:45 remaining. OWU responded with a quick 6-0 run to cut the lead down to eight on a free throw at 6:14. However, WashU got their lead back up to 11 on a three from junior Alyssa Hughes at 2:23, 71-60.

The Battling Bishops countered with an 8-0 stretch over the next two minutes as OWU trailed by just three with :29.7 seconds left in regulation. After a Battling Bishops foul, Rogers made the second of her two free throws, putting the game back at a two-possession contest, 72-68.

OWU was then fouled with 15 seconds left but missed both free throws while WashU got the rebound. On the ensuing possession, the Battling Bishops got a turnover and steal but missed a three with six seconds left. A foul with one second remaining saw Rogers make the first of two free throws as the Bears advanced to the next round with the 73-68 win.

WashU had nearly double the rebounds as OWU with 49 to just 25 for the home team. Throughout the game, but mostly in the first quarter, there were six times the score was tied, the last at 21-21 with 9:40 on the clock in the second quarter. Also during that stretch, there were seven lead changes, with the last time the Battling Bishops had the lead at 18-17 with :57 seconds left in the first period.

The Bears advance to the Sweet 16 next weekend when they play the winner of No. 2 Wis.-Oshkosh and No. 28 Wisconsin Lutheran. Check back for the latest on the dates and times of the Bears' next round contest.
 
-------

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.