Lincoln, Neb., March 6, 2020 – Junior guard Jack Nolan and senior forward DeVaughn Rucker combined to score 52 points to lead the No. 16-ranked Washington University in St. Louis men's basketball team to a 102-68 win over Bethany Lutheran College Friday in the first round of the 2020 NCAA Division III Tournament Friday in Lincoln, Neb.  

The 102 points are the most scored in school history in NCAA Tournament play.  The previous high was 101 vs. Aurora on March, 1, 2001.

WashU improved to 21-5 with the win, while Bethany Lutheran ends season with a 21-7 mark. 

Nolan was 12-of-20 from the field and hit a pair of threes for 29 points, while Rucker was 10-of-12 from the field and had 23 points. Sophomore forward Kameron Mack tied his career-high with 15 points off the bench and senior guard Matt Nester added 14 points.

WashU shot 58.9 percent (43-73) from the field, and hit 9-of-22 from three-point range. The Bears outrebounded BLC 46-22 and had a 27-7 advantage in points off turnovers.

"We are excited to be in the NCAA Tournament and to advance. I am proud of the way our guys played tonight," said WashU head coach Pat Juckem. "When you trust your teammates and your system, you can see the growth of our team. Our guys are resilient with a ton of character and they love to compete."

WashU led 10-7 after the first media timeout, and the Bears responded with an 18-4 run to take a commanding 28-11 lead. Nolan had the hot hand early with 12 points.

Rucker scored 12-straight points, including a pair of threes, as the lead grew to 39-16 with less than seven minutes remaining. WashU hit 21 of its first 28 shots from the field (75.0 percent) to start the contest.

WashU led 57-35 at half behind a strong shooting performance of 68.6 percent (24-35) from the field, including 6-of-11 from three-point range. The Bears dominated the paint (32-18), and outrebounded BLU 20-9. Nolan had 20 points and Rucker added 13.

Nolan hit back-to-back buckets to get the lead up to 25 (63-38), and then Mack nailed a wing three to lead up to 26 (78-52).

Care Mayfield led Bethany Lutheran with 28 points, while Brian Smith added 16 points. Mayfield went over the 1,000-point plateau in the loss. BLC shot 46.6 percent (27-58) from the field and hit 10-of-27 from three-point range.

WashU takes on No. 7 Nebraska Wesleyan Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in the second round.

BEAR NOTEBOOK: 
• WashU and Bethany Lutheran met for the first time in school history
• The Bears have outrebounded 21 of 26 opponents this season
• WashU is 34-19 in 25 all-time NCAA appearances as a Division III member
• The Bears last appearance in Lincoln for the NCAA Tournament was in 1998 
• Nolan moved into 18th place on the WashU all-time scoring list (1,180 points)
• The double-double for Rucker was his sixth of the season
• WashU has won 16-straight games played on a neutral court, the longest active streak in D3