Waltham, Mass. February 17, 2013 – Senior guard Ben Hoener scored a career-high 25 points to lead the No. 17-ranked Washington University in St. Louis men's basketball team to a 76-60 win at Brandeis University in University Athletic Association (UAA) action Sunday afternoon.
Washington U. improved to 19-5 overall and 9-4 in the UAA with the win, while Brandeis dropped to 17-7 overall and 8-5 in conference play. The Bears are tied for second in the UAA standings with Emory University (17-6, 9-4 UAA), while the University of Rochester (21-3, 10-3 UAA) sits in first place with one game remaining.
The Bears shot 43.5 percent (27-of-62) from the field in the game, and were 18-of-24 from the free-throw line. Brandeis finished with 34.4 percent (21-of-61) shooting from the field, and was 13-of-16 at the foul line. Washington U. outrebounded the Judges, 49-30 in the game.
Hoener led three players in double figures for the Bears with a career-high 25 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the field and 7-of-7 at the free-throw line. Senior forward Chris Klimek just missed a double-double with 14 points, nine rebounds and three blocks, while senior guard Alan Aboona added 10 points. Senior center Robert Burnett finished with eight points and eight rebounds, while sophomore guard David Fatoki tallied a career-high eight points off the bench.
Both teams started slow offensively, but the Bears took a 7-3 lead on a layup by Aboona with 16:15 to play in the first half. Washington U. limited the Judges to 1-of-10 from the field and outrebounded them 11-2 in the opening five minutes. The Bears built a 14-6 lead on a layup by Burnett, but Brandeis answered with back-to-back threes and a free-throw to pull to within 14-13 with 6:13 to play in the half.
Washington U. went on a 10-2 run over the next 3:24 to open up a 24-15 lead. After a basket by the Judges, Hoener hit a three and Fatoki made a fast-break layup to put the Bears ahead 29-17 with 2:12 left in the half. Brandeis cut the lead to 10 (31-21) on a pair of free throws by Gabrielle Moton with less than a minute to play, but Hoener hit another three on the Bears' next possession to give Washington U. its largest lead of the half (34-21) with 24 seconds on the clock. The Judges got a tip-in just before the buzzer to make the score 34-23 at halftime.
Hoener had 12 first-half points on 4-of-6 shooting from the field to lead the Bears in the opening 20 minutes. Washington U. shot 41.2 percent (14-of-34) from the field in the half, while Brandeis shot 8-of-29 (27.6 percent). The Bears also had a 29-15 rebounding advantage in the first half.
In the second half, Brandeis pulled to within six points (44-38) on a driving layup by Jay Freeman with 12:47 left in the game. The Bears answered with a 9-0 run over the next 5:09 to regain a double-digit lead (53-38) with 7:51 to play. Washington U. maintained the double-digit lead through the remainder of the game to seal the win.
Washington U. closes its regular season by hosting the University of Chicago at 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23, at the WU Field House. The Bears will honor their seniors prior to the game for Senior Day.
Bear Notebook: Washington U. leads the all-time series against Brandeis 39-11, and the Bears have won eight of the last 12 meetings … Brandeis defeated the Bears 67-62 Jan. 20 in St. Louis … Washington U. has a 14-1 record this season when gaining the halftime advantage, and the Bears have won 99 of their last 106 games when leading at the half … The Bears have outrebounded 20 of their 24 opponents this season … The Judges entered the game leading the UAA in scoring defense (62 ppg), and the Bears' 76 points equaled the highest total given up by Brandeis this season … Palucki has pulled down eight or more rebounds in 18 of 24 games this season … It was Klimek's 20th game this season scoring in double figures.