St. Louis, Mo., February 23, 2013 – The No. 22 ranked Washington University in St. Louis men's basketball team posted a 72-54 win over the University of Chicago Saturday afternoon in St. Louis to gain a share of the University Athletic Association (UAA) Championship and earn the automatic bid to the 2013 NCAA Division III Tournament.

Emory University rolled over No. 13 University of Rochester 72-54 Saturday, forcing a three-way tie for the UAA Championship. Emory, Rochester and Washington U. all finished with 10-4 records. The UAA title for the Bears is the fifth in the last seven years and 12th overall.

Prior to the contest, Washington U. honored its three seniors who played their final regular-season home game: Robert Burnett, Ben Hoenerand Max Needle. The Class of 2013 has compiled an overall record of 77-27 (.740) in their four seasons on the Danforth Campus, with three NCAA Tournament appearances and the 2010, 2012 and 2013 UAA Championships.

Hoener and junior forward Chris Klimek each scored 17 points to lead the Bears. Hoener was 8-of-15 from the field in the win. He averaged 13.1 points per game and shot 54.5 percent from the field and 93.2 percent from the free-throw line in the final nine games of the season (Bears were 8-1 in that span). Klimek hit 7-of-7 from the foul line and scored in double figures for the 21st time this season.

Burnett added 12 points and eight rebounds on Senior Day and junior guard Alan Aboona chipped in with 10 points. Junior guard Tim Cooney filled up the stat sheet with six points, a career-high six assists, five rebounds and two steals.

Washington U. held onto a 16-15 lead midway through the first half before the Bears opened up the contest with a 13-3 run to push the advantage to 29-18. Hoener scored the final five points for Washington U., including a three-pointer off an offensive rebound by sophomore forward Matt Palucki.

The Bears' defense was solid in the opening 20 minutes of play, limiting Chicago without a field goal for 7:29 midway through the half. Washington U. took its largest lead of the half of 39-26 to the locker room after Klimek recorded a three-point play with 1:29 to play. Klimek and Hoener each scored nine points in the first half to lead Washington U., while Burnett added eight. The Bears limited Chicago to 27.3 percent (9-33) shooting from the field, and had 11 assists on 15 field goals with just three turnovers.

Washington U. built the lead to 55-36 on a 14-5 run capped by a pull-up jumper by Hoener with 11:08 to play forcing a full timeout by Chicago. The Maroons went without a field goal for 7:34 during the run. Chicago scored the next five points to trim the lead to 55-41, but Washington U. answered back with a 7-1 run to put the game out of reach at 62-52 after a bucket by Klimek.

Washington University (20-5, 10-4 UAA) limited Chicago to 19-of-60 (31.7 percent) shooting from the field, which tied a season-best for the Bears. WUSTL also held then-No. 4 ranked Rochester to 31.7 shooting in a 72-53 win Feb. 10. The Bears outrebounded Chicago 41-39 and had a 22-9 advantage in points off turnovers. Washington U. also tied a season best hitting 11-of-12 (91.7 percent) from the free-throw line in the win.

Charlie Hughes (10 points) and Alex Voss (10 points) scored in double figures for Chicago, which ended its season with an 11-14 record, 5-9 in the UAA.

The 2013 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball selection show will be aired on www.ncaa.com, Monday, Feb. 25, at 11:30 a.m. Fans will have the opportunity to watch the selection show in the Fun Room at the Danforth University Center (DUC).

Bear Notebook: Washington U. leads the all-time series with Chicago 45-18, and the Bears have won 10 of the last 14 meetings … The Bears have recorded 20 wins in six of the past seven seasons, and 14 times in the Mark Edwards era … Washington University has a 10-1 record at home in 2012-13, and an 89-12 (.881) mark dating back to the 2005-06 season … The Bears are 15-1 this season when leading at half … Washington U. has outrebounded 21 of its 25 opponents this season … The conference win for the Bears was their 275th all-time, most in conference history.