Senior Claire Schaeperkoetter and junior Annie Sayers combined to score the final 19 points for the No. 10 ranked Washington University in St. Louis women's basketball team as the Bears earned a 55-50 win at Loras College on Friday evening.

After leading 29-23 at halftime, Loras stretched its lead to as many as nine points (38-29) with 15:13 left in the second half. The Bears went on a 12-0 run over the next six minutes to turn the deficit into a 41-38 lead. The Duhawks got a free throw and a three-pointer to regain the lead, 42-41, with 8:26 remaining. Sayers scored the next eight points for Washington U. as the Bears and Duhawks traded leads over the next five minutes. Washington U. took the lead for good at 51-50 on a basket by Schaeperkoetter with 2:10 left in the game. A basket by Sayers made it 53-50 in favor of the Bears. A potential game-tying three-pointer by Loras rolled off the rim with less than 20 seconds to play, and Schaeperkoetter made both ends of a bonus free-throw situation with 12 seconds left to give the Bears the 55-50 win.

Washington U. scored the first basket of the game with a shot by sophomore Jordan Rettig, but Loras went on a 9-0 run over the next three minutes to grab a seven-point lead. The Bears got to within three on a pull-up jumper by senior Dani Hoover, which made it 16-13 with 7:56 remaining in the half.

After the Duhawks stretched their lead back to seven, back-to-back baskets by junior Kristin Anda again made it a three-point game. The Bears got to within one at 23-24 on a layup by freshman Melissa Gilkey with 1:33 left in the first half. Loras ended the half with five-straight points, including a basket at the buzzer to take a 29-23 lead into halftime.

Sayers scored a season-high 12 points to lead Washington U., while Schaeperkoetter added 11 points and Anda finished with 10 points and four steals. Freshman Alexandra Keane tied or set five career highs in the game as she dished out a team-high six assists, while also added five points, three rebounds and two steals. Gilkey grabbed a team-high six rebounds to go with her six points.

The Bears shot 46.2 percent from the field in the second half to finish 39.7 percent from the field in the game, and were 6-of-8 from the free-throw line in the game, including 6-of-6 in the second half. After shooting 48 percent from the field in the first half, Loras was just 8-of-22 from the field in the second half for 36.4 percent. Loras outrebounded the Bears 35-31 in the contest, but Washington U. had an 18-13 advantage on the boards in the second half.

Washington U. (7-1) will return to action with its final home game of the semester against Webster University at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 17, at the WU Field House in St. Louis.