CRESTVIEW HILLS, Ky. -- Washington (Mo.) University's Kathryn Berger and Alex Hoover scored 14 and 13 points, respectively, to lead the Bears to a 63-58 win over the University of Chicago in the quarterfinals of the 2011 NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championship Saturday night at Thomas More College.

The win sends Washington (24-5) into the NCAA final four to be held next week at Illinois Wesleyan University.

Chicago, which had trailed for only 63 seconds in its first three postseason contests, jumped out to an 11-2 lead as it held Washington to just one basket during the game's first 8:14.

Washington took its first lead of the game, 16-15, on a Brianne Monahan jumper with 6:53 left in the first half.

Taylor Simpson answered with a layup on Chicago's next possession, but the Bears then scored the game's next 14 points to take a 30-17 advantage at the 2:10 mark. Washington led 33-22 at the break.

Berger and Monahan each scored 10 points during the game's first 20 minutes.

Chicago chipped away at the deficit from the outset of the second stanza and got as close as one point, 39-38, on a layup from Jenna Lillemoe with 13:49 remaining in the contest.

Washington regained a double-digit advantage, 52-41, on Hannah Cusworth's basket at the 6:51 mark.

The Bears missed the front end of a one-and-one free throw situation twice in the final minute, allowing the Maroons to close to within three points with :05 to go, but Hoover sunk a pair of foul shots with :02 remaining to seal the victory.

Meghan Herrick paced Chicago with a career-high 27 points, but no other Maroon finished with more than eight. Herrick's 27 points were the most to date by a Chicago player in NCAA tournament play, surpassing her own 25-point effort against Hanover College in the opening round.

Simpson grabbed a game-high nine rebounds, while Bryanne Halfhill handed out seven assists.

Washington held the Maroons, who entered the game shooting 45.2% for the season and 46.8% in the NCAA tournament, to a 32.8% clip from the field.

The game marked the third meeting this season between the University Athletic Association rivals. Chicago swept the regular season series.

Making its first appearance in the NCAA elite eight, Chicago concluded the most successful season in the program's history with a 25-4 overall record. The Maroons' 25 victories and 21-game winning streak, which ended Saturday, were both school records.

Chicago returns 10 of its 13 players, including all five starters, in 2011-12.