Case Western Reserve University graduate student forward Colin Kahl and junior forward Umar Rashid each recorded double-doubles in a wire-to-wire 74-59 win for the 11th-ranked Spartans over the 17th-ranked Washington University (Mo.) Bears at Horsburgh Gym in Cleveland on Sunday afternoon.

The Spartans improved to 17-3 overall with the win and to 6-3 in University Athletic Association play. The victory also sets up a key matchup in New York City next Friday night between CWRU and New York University, which leads the Spartans by a game in the conference standings with five games remaining in the regular season.

WashU fell to 14-6 overall with a 4-5 UAA record following the setback.

Kahl matched his career high with 29 points (set last year as a member of the Sewanee team against Berry), shooting 10-of-15 overall, two-of-five from behind the three-point line, and seven-of-nine from the free throw line. He added 10 rebounds for his second double-double of the season while dishing out two assists with a steal and a block.

Rashid added 13 points (11 of which came in the first half) and 10 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the campaign. Junior guard Sam Trunley came off the bench to score 16 with five rebounds and a pair of assists.

The Spartans came out firing on Sunday afternoon, starting the game on a 14-0 run behind nine points in the first 4:17 from Kahl. Meanwhile, CWRU's defense held the Bears scoreless over the first four minutes and 57 seconds of the game and did not allow the Bears to make a field goal until the 14:14 mark. The Spartans went on to lead by as many as 16 points in the first half, going ahead 23-7 on a layup by Trunley with 9:07 remaining in the frame. However, WashU ate away at the lead over the remainder of the half, pulling within two points in the final 90 seconds of the period, but the Spartans went on to take a four-point lead into the break, 34-30, on a layup at the buzzer by Kahl.

Threes from Trunley and graduate student guard Anthony Mazzeo constituted a quick 6-0 run for the Spartans and built the team's lead back to 10 points, 46-36, with 15:25 remaining in the game. Later in the half, an 8-0 run, capped off by a three from Trunley with 10:22 to play, put CWRU back ahead by 15, 56-41. The Bears trimmed the lead back to eight points with under a minute remaining, but Kahl, Rashid, and Trunley combined to make seven of eight free throws in the final minute to secure the win.

CWRU's defense played a huge role in Sunday's outcome, forcing 17 turnovers in the game, resulting in a 27-14 edge in points off turnovers for the Spartans. CWRU also held an 18-2 edge in second-chance points and a 23-14 advantage in bench points.

With the win, the Spartans improved to 4-1 on the season against teams ranked in the d3hoops.com Top 25 at the time of the game.

CWRU will be back in action next weekend with its final two road games of the 2023-24 regular season, playing 10th-ranked New York University on Friday night and Brandeis University on Sunday afternoon.