Cleveland, Ohio, Feb. 8, 2015 – Eleven different players scored, including four in double figures, as the No. 7-ranked Washington University in St. Louis women's basketball team won its fifth straight game with an 89-65 victory at Case Western Reserve University Sunday afternoon in University Athletic Association (UAA) action.
Senior guard Maddy Scheppers drained her first three shots from beyond the arc to help Washington U. jump out to a 12-6 lead and force Case to take a timeout with 15:34 left in the first half. The Spartans hit a three to pull to within 12-9, but the Bears scored six unanswered points to extend the led to 18-9 with 10:53 remaining in the period. Case got to within six at 26-20 with 5:25 left in the first half, but the Bears ended the half with an 18-3 run, including seven points by junior Jordan Thompson, to build aa 44-23 lead at halftime.
The Bears kept at least a 20-point lead throughout the second half, and a 10-2 run midway through the half gave Washington U. its largest lead of the game at 70-39 with 9:49 remaining. The Spartans made four three-pointers to get to within 22 at 80-58, but Washington U. extended the lead back to 27 after a basket by junior Paige Naig and a three-pointer by sophomore Ereka Hunt, before finishing with the 26-point win.
Washington U. shot 50 percent from the field (32-64) in the win, including 9-of-21 from three-point range. Case finished with 40.7 percent shooting (24-59) from the field, and 8-of-18 from beyond the arc. The Bears edged Case 39-36 on the glass, finishing with a 24-10 advantage in second-chance points.
Senior Melissa Gilkey finished with 13 points and seven rebounds, while senior Alyssa Johanson also had 13 points, four rebounds and three assists. Scheppers totaled 12 points on 4-of-5 from three-point range, and senior Steph Vukotic reach double figures for the first time this season with 10 points off the bench. Junior Katybeth Biewen and Thompson added seven points each, and combined for nine of the Bears' 20 assists.
Washington U. improved to 19-1 overall and 8-1 in the UAA with the win, while Case dropped to 7-13 overall and 1-8 in the conference. The Bears continue their four-game roadtrip at Emory University and the University of Rochester next weekend. Washington U. takes on Emory at 6 p.m. (ET) Friday, Feb. 13, in Atlanta, before traveling to Rochester, N.Y., to face the Yellowjackets at 2 p.m. (ET) Sunday, Feb. 15.
Bear Notebook: Washington U. leads the all-time series against Case 43-1, including wins in each of the last five meetings … Washington U. is 17-0 this season when leading at halftime … The Bears have outrebounded their opponents in 17 of 20 games this season, and are 76-7 since 2011-12 when winning the rebounding battle … It was the 12th time this season that at least 10 different players have scored for the Bears … Scheppers made the 85th overall and 80th consecutive start of her career … Scheppers' four three-pointers moved her into a tie for 10th with Halsey Ward (2007-08) for 10th on Washington U.'s all-time single-season list with 47 … Scheppers also moved past Beth Ruether (1996-00), Amy Schweizer (1994-98), and Ward (2006-09) to tie Zoe Unruh (2006-10) for fourth on Washington U.'s career three-pointers made leaderboard with 128.