St. Louis, Mo., Dec. 30, 2012 - Sophomore forward Melissa Gilkey and sophomore guard Alyssa Johanson each scored career-highs to lead the No. 5-ranked Washington University in St. Louis women's basketball team to an 82-73 win over Southwestern University (Texas) in the final non-conference game of the season Sunday afternoon.
Washington U. outscored Southwestern 20-5 in fast-break points and 20-7 in second-chance points to outlast a hot-shooting Pirates team. Southwestern finished the game shooting 43.9 percent from the field (29-66), including 11-of-16 from three-point range. Washington U. shot 46.8 percent from the field (29-62) and 24-of-31 from the free-throw line in the win, despite finishing 0-of-2 from beyond the arc. The Bears also outrebounded Southwestern 44-31 in the game.
Gilkey poured in a career-high 25 points and eight rebounds, while Johanson finished with career-highs of 19 points and six rebounds. Senior forward Kristin Anda added 10 points and season-highs of eight rebounds and three steals. Sophomore guard Maddy Scheppers tallied eight points, seven rebounds and three steals, while freshman guard Katybeth Biewen also finished with eight points and six rebounds. Freshman guard Jordan Thompson dished out a game-high five assists.
Southwestern made four of its first five shots from three-point range to jump out to a 14-9 lead in the first five minutes of the game. The Bears answered with six-straight points in the next 90 seconds, including a steal and layup by Anda, to take a 15-14 lead. The teams traded leads six more times in the half, before Washington U. made a 12-4 run in the final 3:34 of the period to open up a 45-36 lead at the break.
The Bears shot 48.5 percent from the field in the opening half, and were 13-of-15 from the free-throw line. Southwestern made seven of its 13 baskets in the half from beyond the arc. Washington U. outscored the Pirates 16-0 in fast-break points, and outrebounded Southwestern 24-17 in the first half.
In the second half, a three-point play by Johanson pushed the Bears' lead to 10 points (48-38) with 18:53 to play. Southwestern began to chip away at the lead, and tied the game at 58-58 with 12:03 remaining after back-to-back three-pointers. The Pirates opened the second half 4-of-4 from beyond the arc, but were 0-of-1 in the final 10 minutes of the game.
A layup by Southwestern gave the Pirates a 62-60 lead with 10:36 left in the game, but the Bears went on a 14-1 run over the next seven minutes to regain a double-digit lead. Southwestern pulled to within seven twice more in the game, but a pair of free throws by Gilkey with 33 seconds left sealed the 82-73 win for the Bears.
Washington U. (10-1) begins its University Athletic Association (UAA) schedule Saturday, Jan. 5, at University of Chicago. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. in Chicago.
Bear Notebook: Washington U. improved to 3-0 all-time against Southwestern … The Bears topped the 70-point mark for the ninth time this season and eighth game in a row … Gilkey has scored in double-figures all 11 games this season, and the past 14 in a row … The Bears improved to 340-32 (.914) all-time at the WU Field House … It was the second time this season that the Bears have won without making a three-pointer … Washington U. improved to 33-0 in the past four years when scoring at least 73 points.