Cleveland, Ohio, Feb. 3, 2019 – The Washington University in St. Louis men's basketball team shot 55.1 percent in the second half to overcome a 15-point first-half deficit in a 66-63 win at Case Western Reserve University Sunday at Adelbert Gymnasium in Cleveland.
WashU limited Case without a bucket in a span of 7:26 to end the first half and in the opening five minutes of the second half. Freshman forward Justin Hardy had 11 of the Bears' 16 points during a 16-0 run.
WashU won its seventh-straight game and improved to 14-6 and 7-2 in the University Athletic Association (UAA), while Case fell to 9-11 and 2-7 in the UAA. The Bears have won 14-straight games on Sunday dating back to last season.
Hardy finished with a game-high 26 points and eight rebounds on 10-of-13 field goal shooting. He also hit 5-of-6 from three-point range. Hardy averaged 25.5 points per game for the week and hit 9-of-12 three-pointers.
Junior forward DeVaughn Rucker added 13 points and six rebounds. WashU shot 40.7 percent (24-59) from the field in the win, and connected on 12-of-27 three-pointers.
Trailing by seven at half, Hardy hit a pair of threes and Rucker drained a triple to give WashU the 37-32 advantage. Freshman guard Charlie Jacob drained his second three of the game to make it 40-35.
Sophomore guard Jack Nolan found his groove and nailed a wing three and then a 15-foot jumped to make it 57-52.
Leading by two with 27.1 seconds left, Hardy stole a pass and went in for the lay-up to make it 65-61. Senior center Marcus Meyer hit 1-of-2 free-throws with 9.1 seconds left to make it a three-point game, and then Michael Hollis missed a three-point at the buzzer.
WashU started slow connecting on just 1-of-8 field goals with four turnovers and trailed 10-2 in the opening five minutes of play. Case's Ignas Masiulionis nailed a corner three to push the lead to 20-8 with 10:27 to play and force a timeout by Pat Juckem. WashU's largest deficit was 28-13.
A three-pointer by Hardyignited an 8-0 run to get the lead trimmed to 28-21. Jacob also had a three off the bench during the run.
WashU shot 26.7 percent (8-30) from the field while facing a triangle and two, and Case outscored the Bears 20-6 in bench points. WashU's bench was 2-of-14 in first half. Hardy led all scorers with 11 points on 3-of-4 three-point shooting.
Brady Flynn led Case with 16 points.
WashU takes on Emory University (16-4, 7-2 UAA) on Friday, Feb. 8, at 8 p.m. (ET) in Atlanta. The Bears are locked in a tie for first-place in the UAA standings with Emory.
BEAR NOTEBOOK: WashU leads the all-time series with Case Western Reserve 49-5, and the Bears have won the last nine meetings … Adelbert Gymnasium was built in 1888 … Hardy's dunk in the first half was his 14th of the season.