Chicago, Ill., Feb. 29, 2020 – The No. 13-ranked Washington University in St. Louis men's basketball team let an 11-point second-half lead evaporate with a 22-5 run by the University of Chicago in a 77-70 loss in the regular-season finale Saturday in the Windy City.
Chicago ended the season with a 12-13 overall record and a 7-7 mark in the University Athletic Association (UAA), while WashU dropped to 20-5 and 11-3 in the conference.
No. 12 Emory and WashU were crowned UAA co-champions with identical 11-3 conference record, while the Eagles earned the league's automatic bid after sweeping the Bears in two regular-season games.
Senior DeVaughn Rucker led the Bears with 15 points, while junior Jack Nolan (14) and sophomore Justin Hardy (14) also scored in double figures. WashU shot 45.2 percent (28-62) from the field in the loss, and hit just 8-of-24 from three-point range.
WashU jumped out to a 27-19 lead after hitting 12 of its first 18 shots from the field. A three-pointer from sophomore Kameron Mack made with 32-26 with 5:43 to play before half.
The Bears held onto a nine-point halftime lead (43-34) after shooting 58.6 percent (17-29) from the field and hit 5-of-11 threes. Nolan led the Bears with 11 points, while Mack added eight.
WashU led 47-36 on a bucket by Rucker with 18:14 to play, but the Bears went ice cold from the field. An 11-0 run by Chicago tied the game at 47-47, and then Bryce Hopkins nailed a three-pointer to extend the run to 22-5 and gave Chicago a 58-52 lead.
A lay-up by Rucker with 8:49 got the lead down to two (61-59), but that would be as close as WashU would get.
Brennan McDaniel led Chicago with 23 points on 5-of-5 three-point shooting, while Bryce Hopkins scored 13 points off the bench. The Maroons hit 12-of-30 from three-point range and had a 21-12 advantage in points off turnovers.
The 2020 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Selection Show is set for Monday, March 2, at 11:30 a.m. (CT) on www.ncaa.com. The Bears are in search of their 25th all-time NCAA appearance, and 22nd as a Division III school.
BEAR NOTEBOOK: WashU leads the all-time series with Chicago 53-24 … The score was tied five times and there were nine lead changes.