St. Louis, Mo., Jan. 18, 2013 – Four players scored in double figures for the No. 7-ranked Washington University in St. Louis women's basketball team as the Bears earned a 74-45 win over New York University in their first home University Athletic Association (UAA) game of the season Friday night at the WU Field House.
Twelve different players scored for Washington U., who shot 37.5 percent (24-of-64) from the field in the game. New York University finished with 28 percent shooting (14-of-50) from the field, including just 2-of-17 from three-point range. The Bears also shot 86.4 percent (19-of-22) from the free-throw line, including 12-of-12 in the second half, while the Violets were 15-of-23 (65.2 percent) from the free-throw line. Washington U. finished with a 45-35 rebounding advantage, and the Bears' bench outscored NYU's 45-16.
Freshman guard Jordan Thompson led four players in double figures for Washington U. with 12 points, while junior guard Lucy Montgomery finished with 11. Freshman guard Katybeth Biewen and sophomore forward Melissa Gilkey added 10 points each, and Gilkey also pulled down a game-high eight rebounds. Senior guard Nishi Tavernier tallied career-highs of five points, three assists and four steals in the first start of her career.
Eight players scored in the first half for Washington U., who opened the game with a 6-0 run only to have NYU close to within 6-5 with 14:09 left. The Bears answered with a 12-2 run over the next five minutes, including five points by Montgomery, to open up an 18-7 lead. After a three-pointer by the Violets, the Bears put together another 14-2 run to take its largest lead of the game (32-12) with 3:46 remaining, before heading to the locker room with a 35-18 halftime lead. The Bears continued to pour it on in the second half, extending their lead to as many as 31 points (74-43) in the final two minutes, before finishing with the 29-point win.
Washington U. (13-2, 3-1 UAA) is back in action at 2 p.m. Sunday when the Bears face Brandeis University (7-8, 1-3 UAA) at the WU Field House. The Judges lost 73-61 at the University of Chicago Friday night.
Bear Notebook: Washington U. leads the all-time series against NYU, 37-15, and has won the past 12 games between the two teams … It was the 300th UAA win for the Bears, who have a 300-47 (.865) record in 26 seasons in the UAA … Washington U. has an all-time record of 341-32 (.914) in 29 seasons of play at the WU Field House … The Bears have outrebounded 14 of their 15 opponents this season and rank third in NCAA Division III with a +14.8 rebounding margin … Washington U. has scored 73 or more points nine times this season, and boasts a 36-0 record in the past four seasons when topping that mark … Gilkey has scored in double-figures all 15 games this season, and the past 18 in a row in her career … Gilkey had one block against the Violets and is now five shy of entering Washington University's all-time top-10 list.