Elmhurst, Ill., Dec. 1, 2012 – The No. 8-ranked Washington University in St. Louis women's basketball team scored 42 second-half points as the Bears pulled away for a 70-54 win at Elmhurst College Saturday afternoon.
Rebounding was a key to the win for the Bears, who finished with a 46-35 advantage on the glass, including a 24-12 advantage in offensive rebounds. Washington U. outscored Elmhurst 25-9 in second-chance points in the game.
After shooting just 30.6 percent from the field in the first half, Washington U. bounced back to outshoot Elmhurst 46.9-29.2 percent from the field in the second half. The Bears held Elmhurst without a field goal in the final 8:48 of the game, while outscoring the Bluejays 17-6 in that span.
After playing to a 28-28 tie in the first half, Elmhurst grabbed a 40-35 lead on a three-pointer with 15:36 left in the game. The Bears went on a 10-0 run over the next three minutes to turn the deficit into a five-point lead. Elmhurst scored the next four points to get to within 45-44, but the Bears quickly extended the lead to seven (53-46). A layup by the Bluejays made it 53-48 with 8:48 to play, before Washington U. took control with a 9-1 run, including seven points by sophomore forward Melissa Gilkey, to stretch the lead to 62-49 with 5:06 remaining. Four Elmhurst free throws cut the lead to single digits (62-53), but back-to-back three-pointers and a layup by sophomore guard Maddy Scheppers sealed the win for Washington U.
Four players scored in double figures for Washington University, led by Gilkey's season-high 20 points and seven rebounds. Sophomore guard Alyssa Johanson exploded for 11 second-half points to score a career-high 16. Scheppers scored 10 of her 14 points in the second half, including eight in the final 4:10 of the game. Sophomore center Stephanie Vukotic came off the bench to score a career-high 10 points, including a pair of three-point plays. Freshman guard Jordan Thompson dished out a career-high 11 assists and also added three steals in the win.
Washington University improved to 4-1 with the win and returns home to host Millikin University Wednesday, Dec. 5. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at the WU Field House.
Bear Notebook: Washington U. improved to 3-1 all-time against Elmhurst … Gilkey and Scheppers have both scored in double figures in each of the Bears' first five games.