After trailing by as many as 11 points in the second half, the No. 8-ranked Washington University in St. Louis women's basketball team got to within one with less than a minute left but came up short in a 65-62 loss to No. 2 University of Chicago in the University Athletic Association (UAA) opener for both teams on Saturday afternoon at the WU Field House.

The Bears led 32-25 at halftime, but Chicago opened the second half with a 22-4 run to take a 47-36 lead with 13:01 left in the game. A three-pointer by senior Claire Schaeperkoetter ended a 16-0 run by the Maroons and got the Bears back to within eight points. Washington U. cut the lead to 45-50 on a layup by freshman Melissa Gilkey with 7:25 remaining. After a three-pointer by Chicago, senior Dani Hoover answered with a three to again make it a five-point game, before a free throw by Gilkey and another three by Schaeperkoetter brought the Bears to within 52-53 with 4:59 on the clock.

Chicago stretched its lead back to six points (60-54), but a layup by junior Annie Sayers and a second-chance three-pointer by sophomore Lucy Montgomery cut the lead to one with 1:17 left in the game. A Chicago layup made it 62-59 with 48 seconds left. After a turnover by Washington U., Chicago made its ninth three-pointer of the game to extend its lead to 65-59 with seven seconds left. Schaeperkoetter drained a running three-pointer at the buzzer to make the final score 65-62.

Washington U. took a 9-8 lead with 12:10 left in the first half on a three-pointer by Hoover. Chicago answered with a 9-3 run to gain its largest lead of the half, 17-12, with 10:22 remaining. The Bears held the Maroons to just one basket over the next 8:30 as Washington U. went on a 12-2 run, including six points by freshman Alyssa Johanson, to take a 24-19 lead with 3:51 left in the half. The Bears stretched their lead to as many as nine points (32-23) after a pair of free throws by freshman Alexandra Keane, before a basket by the Maroons cut the lead to 32-25 at halftime.

Hoover finished with 14 points, six rebounds and four assists to lead the Bears. Johanson scored a career-high 10 points, and also added five rebounds, while Schaeperkoetter added nine points and a season-high four assists. Sayers added eight points and five rebounds, while Gilkey finished with seven points and a team-high eight rebounds. Montgomery also scored seven points, tying her career high.

Washington U. (10-2, 0-1 UAA) shot 44.6 percent (25-of-56) from the field, and 6-of-18 from three-point range. Chicago (11-0, 1-0 UAA) shot 49.1 percent (26-of-53) from the field, and 9-of-21 from three-point range, including seven three-pointers in the second half. Washington U. out-rebounded the Maroons 34-28, and the Bears' bench outscored Chicago 24-14 in the game.

Washington U. will travel to Cleveland, Ohio, for its first UAA road game of the season against Case Western Reserve University on Friday, Jan. 13. The Bears will then travel to Pittsburgh, Pa., to take on Carnegie Mellon University on Sunday, Jan. 15.