Senior forward Kathryn Berger scored 18 points and senior guard Alex Hoover added 17 points to lead the No. 7 Washington University in St. Louis women's basketball team to a 78-48 victory over Augustana College on Sunday afternoon at the WU Field House. Berger was 7-of-14 from the field and tied her career-high with four three-pointers, while Hoover hit 8-of-12 shots from the field.
The Bears packed the ball inside early in the contest, as freshman Jordan Rettig scored the first three buckets of the game inside the paint to give WU a 6-2 advantage. Trailing 17-14, Berger ignited a 10-0 run with a driving lay-up as Washington U. took a 24-17 lead. Berger had eight of the Bears' 10 points during the run, including a pair of three-pointers from the wing.
Washington U. took a 33-25 lead to the locker room as Berger (13 points) and Hoover (10 points) scored in double figures. The Bears shot 48.4 percent (15-31) from the field in the first half, but were outrebounded 20-19. Augustana kept it close by outscoring Washington U., 9-4, in points of turnovers.
Augustana kept it close early in the second half after back-to-back lay-ups by Molly Etheridge trimmed the lead to six (37-31) with 18:01 to play. Hoover highlighted a 7-0 run by the Bears with a three-pointer from the wing to get the lead back to double figures at 44-31. Washington U. put the game out of reach with an 11-2 run following back-to-back jumpers from junior Brianne Monahan.
Rettig added nine points and a career-high 13 rebounds in her third-career start, while sophomore Kristin Anda and Monahan added six points apiece off the bench. Freshman Lucy Montgomery had a career-high six assists in the victory.
Washington University shot 48.6 percent (35-72) in the victory, and outrebounded Augustana, 53-35. Kristen Fox (14 points) and Etheridge (12 points) scored in double figures for Augustana, which dropped to 0-5 overall.
Washington University (3-1) hosts the 10th Annual McWilliams Classic on Friday-Saturday, Dec. 3-4, at the WU Field House. The Bears take on the University of New England on Friday at 6 p.m., followed by a match-up against Ohio Wesleyan University or Elmhurst College on Saturday at 2 or 6 p.m.
Bear Notebook: The Bears had 10 blocks in the victory, one shy of the school record … Washington U. outrebounded Augustana, 34-15, in the second half.