Chicago, Ill., January 8, 2011 – The No. 5 ranked Washington University in St. Louis women's basketball hit three three-pointers with under a minute to play but was unable to completely come back from an 11-point second-half deficit in a 73-71 loss at the University of Chicago in the University Athletic Association (UAA) opener for both teams on Saturday afternoon at the Ratner Athletics Center in Chicago, Ill.

Washington University falls to 9-3 overall, 0-1 in the UAA, while Chicago improve its record to 9-3, 1-0 in conference play.

Junior Dani Hoover led the Bears with a career-high 17 points and a personal best five three-point field goals, while sophomore Kristin Anda (13 points) and senior Kathryn Berger (13 points) also scored in double figures.

The Bears trailed by eight points with under a minute to play when Dani Hoover drilled a three to make the score 70-65 and following a pair of Joann Torres free-throws Hoover struck again, with another three to cut the Chicago lead to four. The Maroons' Bryanne Halfhill hit 1-of-2 free-throws to put Chicago in front by five, but the Bears came right down the court and drained another three, this time from Berger, to make it a one-possession game.

Following a timeout, Washington University came up with the defensive stop it needed, when Berger tied up Morgan Herrick at the top of the key to create a last-chance opportunity for the Bears, but Dani Hoover's floater was blocked by Morgan Herrick.

Washington University was effective from beyond in the arc in the first draining five three pointers as the Bears played to a 33-33 tie with Chicago through 20 minutes of action.

The Bears entered Saturday afternoon's contest having made just three three-pointers over the past two games but had four different players drain a three in the first half against the Maroons and hit a season-high 11 in the game.

Washington U. led by as many as five points, 18-13, when a three from junior Bethany Morrison and a lay-up by Anda less than a minute apart broke a 13-13 tie. Chicago stormed back with a huge run and led by as many as seven points with 3:23 remaining in the first. The Maroons hit just one triple in the first half, but Corey Mulder's long-range bucket provided her team with that seven-point cushion.

The Bears managed to regroup and end the half on a 7-0 run to produce the halftime deadlock. Another three, this time from freshman Lucy Montgomery, pulled the Red and Green to within two points with 90 seconds to play, and they came all the way back to knot the score thanks to a lay-up by Berger.

Seven different players scored for Washington U. in the first half. Dani Hoover led the way offensively with eight points and Berger added seven. The Bears shot 50.0 percent (5-of-10) from three-point range while Chicago was just 1-of-9 (11.1 percent). Meghan Herrick had 11 points and six boards for Chicago.

A three-point play by senior Hannah Cusworth gave Washington U. a one-point advantage (36-35) early in the second half, but a 14-3 run by the Maroons gave Chicago the 49-38 advantage with 14:48 remaining. Torres drilled two three-pointers during the run after entering the contest with just five triples.

Washington U. got back into the contest with a 9-2 to trim the lead to 54-49 with 11:49 remaining, highlighted by a three-pointer on the wing by Morrison. The Bears would get the lead down to four (56-52) following a lay-up by Anda, but three-straight lay-ups by Chicago got the lead back to nine at 62-53. A three-pointer by Dani Hoover with 2:23 to play got the lead down to four (66-62), but that would be as close as the Bears would get until the final moments.

Washington U. returns to action on Friday, Jan. 14, when it hosts Emory University at the Washington University Field House in St. Louis, Mo., at 6 p.m.

Bear Notebook: Washington U. outrebounded Chicago, 44-38, and has now outrebounded 11 of its 12 opponents so far this season … Washington U. is 20-4 all-time in UAA opening games and are 12-3 all-time against Chicago in the UAA opener … Washington U. leads the all-time series against Chicago 41-10, and the loss snapped a four-game winning streak by the Bears.