The seventh-ranked Washington University in St. Louis women's basketball team suffered its first loss of the season in a 69-57 setback against No. 10 DePauw University in the championship of the Thanksgiving Classic on Sunday at the WU Field House.

Freshman Melissa Gilkey, junior Kristin Anda and sophomore Jordan Rettig each scored season-highs in the loss for Washington U. Gilkey had a big day for the Bears, leading the way with 15 points, seven rebounds and five blocked shots. Anda finished with 12 points, six rebounds and three steals, while Rettig added 10 points.

The Bears controlled the game early in the first half, jumping out to a 15-9 lead on a free throw by Gilkey with 10:50 left in the first half. DePauw battled back to tie the score at 20-20 four minutes later. After another tie at 24-24, the Tigers went on an 11-2 run to open up a 35-26 lead before a three-pointer by senior Dani Hoover cut the lead to 35-29 at halftime.

In the second half, Washington U. got to within 37-33 on a free throw by Anda with 17:25 left to force a DePauw timeout. Following the timeout, DePauw extended its lead back to eight points with 15:14 remaining in the game after back-to-back steals and layups. The Tigers increased their lead to as many as 14 points at 59-45 with 6:07 left in the game. Washington U. rallied to make it a six-point game at 61-55 with 1:50 on the clock after back-to-back offensive rebounds and putbacks by Gilkey. The Bears were unable to cut into the lead any more, and DePauw scored eight points in the final two minutes at the free-throw line to seal the 12-point win.

Washington U. shot 37.7 percent from the field in the game, while DePauw finished slightly better with 39.6-percent shooting from the field. DePauw, who scored its final 12 points on free throws, shot 28-of-34 from the free-throw line in the game, while the Bears finished 14-of-18 at the line. The Tigers also finished with a 37-30 rebounding advantage.

Washington U. (4-1) will host the McWilliams Classic Friday and Saturday, Dec. 2-3 at the WU Field House. The Bears are set to take on Augustana College at 6 p.m. on Friday. Agnes Scott College and Wisconsin Lutheran College are the other two teams who will be participating in the McWilliams Classic.