St. Louis, Mo., February 18, 2011 – Senior guard Alex Hoover scored 11 points and dished out eight assists to lead the No. 9 ranked Washington University in St. Louis women's basketball team to a 68-50 victory over New York University on Friday night at the Washington University Field House in St. Louis, Mo.
Hoover was 5-of-6 from the field in the win, including hitting her lone three-point attempt of the night. Her eight assists increased her career total to 405, making her the second player in school history to reach 400 in a career. Senior Kathryn Berger led the Bears with 16 points and eight rebounds, connecting on 3-of-4 three-pointers and 3-of-3 free-throws.
The Bears started slow out of the gate but led for the first six minutes of the contest. New York took its first and only lead (12-11) with 13:18 to play in the first half after a conventional three-point play by senior Chelsea Blake. Sophomore Kristin Anda knotted the contest for the Bears after making 1-of-2 free-throws, and then Berger drilled a three-pointer from the wing on the ensuing possession to make it 15-12.
Following a bucket by the Violets, the Bears scored 12-straight points to build a commanding 27-14 lead with 6:28 remaining in the half. Anda scored four points during the 12-0 run for the Bears, while Alex Hoover had a three-pointer and Berger added a three-point play.
Washington U. took a 12-point (32-20) lead to the locker room following a three-pointer by junior Claire Schaeperkoetter with 49 seconds remaining. That was Schaeperkoetter's only bucket of the half, but also pulled down eight rebounds in nine minutes off the bench.
Berger led the Bears with nine points on two three-pointers in the opening half, while senior Hannah Cusworth added six points on 3-of-3 shooting from the field. Washington U. shot 50 percent (13-26) from the field, and had an 11-2 advantage in points off turnovers. New York shot just 31 percent (9-29) in the first half, including 0-for-10 from three-point range.
Washington U. extended the advantage to 17 points (39-22) after the Hoover sister's (Dani Hoover-five points; Alex Hoover-four points) combined to score the first nine points of the second half for the Bears. Leading 39-24, Washington U. put the game out of reach with an 8-0 run to build a 47-26 advantage with 14:21 remaining.
Maggie Ely (21 points) and Blake (10 points, eight rebounds) scored in double figures for New York, which dropped to 12-11, 6-6 in the UAA.
Washington University (19-4, 10-2 UAA) returns to action on Sunday, Feb. 20, when it welcomes Brandeis University to the Washington University Field House in St. Louis, Mo., for a 2 p.m. tip-off.
Bear Notebook: Washington University has now outrebounded 22-of-23 opponents this season … Washington U. now leads the all-time series against New York, 34-15 … Washington University has swept the season series with New York for four-straight seasons and the Bears have won nine-straight games in the series … Dating back to the 2008-09 season, the Bears have won 39-straight home games.