St. Louis, Mo., February 12, 2012 - The No. 12-ranked Washington University in St. Louis women's basketball team put on one of its best offensive performances of the season en route to an 86-74 Senior Day win over Carnegie Mellon University in a University Athletic Association (UAA) game on Sunday afternoon at the WU Field House.
The Bears had season-highs of 86 points, 32 field goals, 48.5 percent shooting from the field, and 28 assists in the game. After recognizing seniors Dani Hoover, Brianne Monahan, Bethany Morrison, Claire Schaeperkoetter, and manager Emma Liss for Senior Day before the game, the four players made the most of their final regular-season home game.
Monahan scored a career-high 16 points and equaled her season-high with six rebounds, while Hoover and Schaeperkoetter added 10 points each. Morrison recorded a career-high 11 assists, while Schaeperkoetter finished with a career-high six assists. Hoover pulled down a team-high nine rebounds, just one shy of a double-double, and also had four assists. Freshman Melissa Gilkey led all scorers with 20 points and pulled down seven rebounds, while freshman Maddy Scheppers also scored in double-figures for the Bears with 10 points.
Carnegie Mellon (8-14, 2-9 UAA) made 10 of its first 15 field goals in the game to take a 21-15 lead with 11:19 to play in the first half. The Bears battled back with a 13-2 run, including five points by Gilkey, to take a 28-23 lead with 4:27 remaining. Washington U. extended the lead to six points (33-27) on a three-pointer by Schaeperkoetter with 2:16 left in the half, before the Tartans closed the gap to 36-33 at halftime. Both teams shot better than 50 percent from the field in the half. Carnegie Mellon was 16-of-27 (59.3 percent) from the field, while Washington U. was 15-of-28 (53.6 percent).
Washington U. opened the second half with a 20-2 run, including nine points by Monahan, to take a 56-35 lead with 14:24 left in the game. The Bears stretched the lead to 22 points (60-38) after back-to-back baskets by sophomore Jordan Rettig with 13:08 on the clock. The Tartans scored 24 points in the final 6:24 of the game to make the final score 86-74.
The Bears shot 48.5 percent (32-66) from the field in the game, while Carnegie Mellon shot 51.8 percent (29-56). Washington U. made 17-of-23 free-throw attempts, while Carnegie Mellon finished 9-of-16 from the line. The Bears finished with a 39-32 rebounding advantage, including a 17-9 advantage on the offensive end.
Jennifer Larsen and Chandler Caufield each scored 15 points to lead Carnegie Mellon. Emily Peel (14), Gabrielle West (13) and Jacquie Shaw (10) also scored in double figures for the Tartans in the loss.
Washington U. (18-4, 8-3 UAA) remained in a tie for second place in the UAA standings with the win. The Bears are tied with No. 11 University of Rochester, who earned a 64-50 win over New York University on Sunday. Washington U. returns to action with a roadtrip to the East Coast next weekend. The Bears take on Brandeis University at 6 p.m. (ET) on Friday, Feb. 17, in Waltham, Mass., before facing New York University at 2 p.m. (ET) on Sunday, Feb. 19, in New York.
BEAR NOTEBOOK: Washington U. leads the all-time series against Carnegie Mellon, 45-3 … The Bears improved to 163-8 all-time against UAA opponents at the WU Field House … Both teams finished with five players in double figures … Carnegie Mellon entered the game shooting 73.7 percent from the free-throw line on the season, but made just 9-of-16 (56.3 percent) against the Bears.