Waltham, Mass., February 17, 2012 – The No. 12-ranked Washington University in St. Louis women's basketball team limited Brandeis University to 27 percent shooting and forced 19 turnovers in a 57-33 win over the Judges in a University Athletic Association (UAA) game on Friday night.
The Bears moved into sole possession of second place in the UAA standings with the win. Washington U. is one game ahead of No. 11 University of Rochester. Case Western Reserve University upset Rochester, 58-57, on Friday night.
Washington U. jumped out to an 8-1 lead in the opening minutes of the game, including three-pointers by seniors Dani Hoover and Brianne Monahan. The Bears stretched their lead to 25-5 on a three-pointer by senior Claire Schaeperkoetter with 8:26 remaining in the half, while holding Brandeis to 2-of-16 from the field in the opening 12 minutes. After a Brandeis timeout, the Judges went on a 13-0 run, holding the Bears without a field goal for nearly seven minutes to get to within seven (25-18). A pair of free throws by freshman Maddy Scheppers and a jumper by freshman Melissa Gilkey extended Washington U.'s lead back to double digits (29-18) at halftime. The Bears made five of their first seven three-pointers in the game, before going 0-4 in the final eight minutes of the half.
In the second half, Washington U. held Brandeis to just three points through the first 13 minutes of the period as the Bears extended their lead to 45-21. The Judges were unable to get any closer than 21 points through the remainder of the game as Washington U. earned the 57-33 win.
Washington U. shot 37.5 percent (21-of-56) from the field, including 8-of-21 from three-point range. Brandeis shot 26.5 percent (13-of-49), and just 2-of-14 from beyond the arc. The Bears finished with a 37-33 rebounding advantage in the game.
Hoover led all scorers with 12 points. Sophomore Jordan Rettig added seven points, while Schaeperkoetter and Monahan chipped in six points each. Monahan also finished with a career-high seven rebounds.
Washington U. (19-4, 9-3 UAA) returns to action on Sunday at New York University. Tip off is set for 2 p.m. (ET) in New York. NYU lost to No. 2 University of Chicago, 57-42, on Friday.
BEAR NOTEBOOK: The 33 points allowed was the fewest for the Bears since Dec. 13, 2008, against Fontbonne (28) … Washington U. leads the all-time series against Brandeis, 45-3 … The Bears made more three-pointers (8) than free throws (7) for the second time this season … With three assists against the Judges, senior Bethany Morrison is now 15 shy of 10th on Washington U.'s all-time career list.