Chicago, Ill., Feb. 27, 2016 – Senior guard Luke Silverman-Lloyd scored 17 points on five three-pointers to lead the Washington University in St. Louis men's basketball team to a 67-54 victory at the University of Chicago in the regular-season finale Saturday in the Windy City.
Chicago led 30-19 with 5:32 left in the first half, but WashU went on a 19-0 run in the next 9:20 to take the lead for good. Silverman-Lloyd had nine of his 17 points during the decisive run.
Silverman-Lloyd wrapped up his career with 143 three-pointers and 630 points, and helped WashU to a 79-25 (.760) record in his four seasons on the Danforth Campus. The Bears made three NCAA Tournament appearances and won a pair of University Athletic Association titles (2013, 2014).
WashU ended the season on a five-game win streak to improve to 15-10, 7-7 in the UAA, while Chicago dropped to 17-8, 8-6 in the UAA.
Sophomore forward Andrew Sanders recorded his 12th double-double of the season with 15 points and 11 rebounds, while junior forward Clinton Hooks (14 points) and sophomore center David Schmelter (10 points, eight rebounds) also scored in double figures.
WashU shot 45.8 percent (27-of-59) from the field in the win, including 51.7 percent in the second half. The Bears had a 26-6 advantage in points off turnovers and recorded 17 assists.
WashU connected on five of its first 17 shots from the field, and trailed 22-12 with less than eight minutes remaining in the first half. The Maroons took their largest lead of the game with 5:32 left after a three-pointer by Tyler Howard.
WashU ended the half on a 10-0 run as Chicago took a 30-29 lead to the break. Silverman-Lloyd had 12 points on 4-of-4 three-point shooting, while Sanders added 10 points and six boards.
The Bears shot 40 percent (12-of-30) from the field in the first half, and hit 5-of-8 in three-point range. Tyler Howard had 11 points to lead Chicago.
WashU scored the first nine points in the second half, extending the run to 19-0. Hooks' baseline jumper with 17:38 to play make it 38-30. Back-to-back buckets from Schmelter and Silverman-Lloyd pushed the advantage to double figures at 42-32 and forced a Chicago timeout.
The Bears took their largest lead of the game at 49-35 following a lay-up by sophomore guard Jake Knupp with 11:55 to play. Sophomore guard Kevin Kucera sealed the victory with a three-pointer from 30 feet out to push the advantage to 65-51 with 1:32 to play.
Kucera tied a career-high with 10 assists, and finished the season with 136.
Howard led all scorers with 18 points, while Jordan Smith added 12 points on 3-of-13 shooting.
BEAR NOTEBOOK: WashU leads the all-time series with Chicago 49-20, and the teams split the season series for the second-straight year … Chicago was picked first in the UAA Preseason Coaches Poll, while WashU was fourth … The Maroons entered the game ranked first in the UAA in scoring defense (65.2) and three-point field-goal percentage defense (29.8) … The Bears have won at least 15 games in 28 of 35 seasons under head coach Mark Edwards.