St. Louis, Mo., Jan. 20, 2013 - The No. 7-ranked Washington University in St. Louis women's basketball team limited Brandeis University to just 16.9 percent shooting from the field as the Bears earned a 60-28 win over the Judges in University Athletic Association (UAA) play Sunday afternoon.
The Bears' defense held Brandeis without a field-goal during two separate 10-minute spans in the game, and forced the Judges to commit 22 turnovers in the game. The 28 points allowed by Washington U. was the fewest against a UAA team in school history. The previous low was 29 points by the University of Chicago in the 1998-99 season.
Washington U. shot 39.6 percent (19-of-48) from the field and finished 17-of-27 at the free-throw line, including 9-of-11 in the first half. Brandeis shot a season-low 16.9 percent (10-of-59) from the field, including 2-of-12 (16.7 percent) from three-point range, and were 6-of-11 from the free-throw line. Washington U. outrebounded Brandeis 50-37, marking the Bears' sixth game with 50 or more rebounds this season.
Sophomore forward Melissa Gilkey scored 16 points in 21 minutes, including 8-of-10 from the free-throw line, to lead the Bears in the win. Sophomore guard Alyssa Johanson finished with nine points, five rebounds and a career-high three steals. Junior guard Lucy Montgomery also added nine points on three three-pointers, and freshman guard Amanda Martinez tallied six points off the bench in the second half. Sophomore guard Maddy Scheppers pulled down a team-high seven rebounds.
Washington U. held Brandeis to 16 first-half points, including a span of 10:05 without a field goal for the Judges, to take a 29-16 lead at halftime. The Bears led 12-9 with 11:19 to play in the half before a 14-0 run, including 7-of-8 from the free-throw line, gave them their largest lead of the half at 26-9 with 2:17 left. The Bears forced Brandeis to commit 16 turnovers in the first half, and outrebounded the Judges, 20-15.
Gilkey scored the first five points of the second half as the Bears used a 13-0 run, capped by Johanson's first-career three-pointer, to build a 42-16 lead with 13:40 remaining. Brandeis missed its first 15 field-goals of the second half, and the Bears extended their lead to 28 points before the Judges' first field-goal of the half made it 46-20 with 9:23 left.
Washington U. improved to 14-2 overall and 4-1 in the UAA, while Brandeis fell to 7-9 overall and 1-4 in conference play. The Bears remain in a three-way tie for first in the UAA standings with Emory University and the University of Rochester.
Washington U. closes the first half of conference play with a pair of road games at Carnegie Mellon University and Case Western Reserve University next weekend. The Bears take on Carnegie Mellon at 6 p.m. (ET) Friday, Jan. 25, in Pittsburgh, Pa., before facing Case Western Reserve at 1 p.m. (ET) Sunday, Jan. 27, in Cleveland, Ohio.
Bear Notebook: Washington U. improved to 46-3 all-time against Brandeis … The Bears are 342-32 (.914) in 29 seasons of play at the WU Field House, including an 8-0 mark at home this season … Washington U. has outrebounded 15 of their 16 opponents this season … Gilkey has scored in double-figures all 16 games this season, and the past 19 in her career … Eighteen players saw minutes for the Bears in the game.