St. Louis, Mo., Dec. 6, 2018– Junior forward DeVaughn Rucker scored 15 of his career-high 17 points in the first half to help lead the Washington University in St. Louis men's basketball team to an 87-65 win over Principia College Thursday at the WU Field House in St. Louis.

WashU improved to 5-3 with the win, while Principia dropped its sixth-straight game and fell to 1-6.

Rucker was 7-of-9 from the field and also hit 3-of-4 from the free-throw line. He also added six rebounds in 21 minutes off the bench.

Sophomore guard Jack Nolan added 14 points, while freshman forward Justin Hardy recorded his first career double-double with 13 points and a career-high 10 assists. Junior center Hank Hunter had his third career double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds off the bench, while senior center Marcus Meyer had 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting.

WashU shot 52.1 percent (35-67) from the field and hit 10-of-29 from three-point range in the win. The Bears also outrebounded Principia 37-29.

Rucker's bucket with 12:43 left in the first half capped a 11-2 run to give WashU a commanding 25-10 advantage and force a second Principia timeout. The Bears began the game hitting 11-of-16 from the field.

The lead grew to 30-12 after two free-throws and a bucket from Rucker, who scored 13 of the first 30 points for WashU. A three-pointer by freshman Kameron Mack made it 33-17, and then the Bears ended the half on a 12-3 run to take a 45-24 lead.

WashU shot 54.5 percent (18-33) from the field in the first half, and had 14 assists on 18 field goals as Principia played zone. Rucker had 15 points and six rebounds, while Hardy added seven assists.

The Panthers came out in a man-to-man in the second half, and three quick buckets and a three by Hardy made it 54-28. Hardy's baseline dunk and a three-pointer by Nolan pushed the advantage to 59-31.

Micah Poulson led all scorers with 20 points, while Trevaughn Goodman added 17 on 6-of-9 shooting. Principia shot 46.4 percent (26-56) from the field but had 15 turnovers.

WashU hosts Fontbonne University in the Wydown Showdown on Tuesday, Dec. 11, at 8 p.m. The women host Fontbonne at 6 p.m. as part of the doubleheader.

BEAR NOTEBOOK: WashU leads the all-time series with Principia 7-1 … The Bears outrebounded seven of eight opponents this season … WashU had the 22-10 advantage in second-chance pointsand had a season-high 24 assists.