St. Louis, Mo., December 10, 2010 –Senior Kathryn Berger poured in 17 points with 11 rebounds to lead the No. 6 Washington University in St. Louis women's basketball team to an 81-47 victory over Central College (Iowa) on Friday night at the Washington University Field House in St. Louis, Mo.

Berger was one of four players to finish in double figures for the Bears, with senior Alex Hoover scoring 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting, freshman Jordan Rettig tallying 11 points and sophomore Kristin Anda setting a new career-high with 11 points.

Washington University led Central 41-29 at the half despite shooting just 28.9 percent (11-of-38) from the field through 20 minutes of action. The Bears managed to hold that lead by forcing 14 turnovers and capitalizing on those opportunities; the Red and Green outscored the Dutch 18-4 in points off turnovers.

Central took an early 17-12 lead when Annie Sarcone fed Haley Brillhart for a fast-break lay-up through the lane, but Washington U. rallied with a 7-2 run, coming back to knot the score at 19-19 with a lay-up from Anda.

Central went on to regain a five-point lead, with Kelsey Schuring sinking a lay-up with 5:47 to play in the opening half, putting the Dutch ahead 27-22. However, Washington University closed the half on a 19-2 run, holding Central without a field goal for the remainder of the period.

Berger's third three of the half resulted in a 27-27 tie, and junior Dani Hoover stripped Nicole Strasko at the top of the key and came all the way down the court to convert a difficult fast-break lay-up to give the bears their first lead since the score was 9-7.

The 7-0 run turned into 11-straight points for Washington U. following a pair of free-throws from senior Hannah Cusworth and another lay-up for Anda. The Bears lead by as many as 13 points late in the period while Central missed its final four field goal attempts of the half and turned the ball over seven times.

Berger nearly turned in double-double in the first half with a team-high 13 points and nine rebounds with three three-pointers and three assists. She was also 4-of-4 from the free-throw line while the Bears were 16-of-19 as a team from the charity stripe.

The Central cold streak continued into the second half as Washington U. opened the period on a 9-1 scoring run over the first five and a half minutes of the period. The Dutch missed their first four field goal attempts of the half and turned the ball over four more times as WUSTL built a 21-point advantage.

Prior to Alyssa Schwartz hitting a lay-up at the 14:31 mark, the Dutch had missed eight-straight field goals and turned the ball over 11 times, with Washington University outscoring them by a 28-3 margin over that stretch of 11:16.

Central did close within 13 points on a Schwartz three-pointer, but Washington University turned up the intensity with a 14-0 run, sprinting up and down the court with eight fast-break points during the big swing.

Berger, Hoover and freshman Lucy Montgomery each finished with four assists in the win and Cusworth pulled down a career-high seven rebounds. Central was led by four players with seven points apiece, but no one reached double figures.

Washington U. (6-1) concludes its five-game homestand on Saturday, Dec. 11, when it hosts Loras College at the Washington University Field House in St. Louis, Mo., at 4 p.m.

Bear Notebook: Washington University improved its all-time record against Central College to 3-3 … The Bears are now 5-0 at home this season and have won 33-straight home games dating back to 2008 … Washington U. pulled down a season-high 61 rebounds in the win … The Bears finished with a 28-4 advantage in points off turnovers.