Cleveland, Ohio, January 27, 2013 – The No. 7 ranked Washington University in St. Louis women's basketball team was outscored 7-3 in the final 56 seconds as the Bears were upset at Case Western Reserve University 72-68 in University Athletic Association (UAA) play Sunday in Cleveland.
With the game tied 65-65 with less than a minute to play, Evy Iacono scored on a reverse lay-up to give Case a two-point advantage. The Bears had two chances to tie or take the lead, but could not get a shot to fall. Iacono added a pair of free-throws with 26 seconds to make it a four-point contest. Washington U. got an open look on the ensuing possession, but senior Nishi Tavernier's runner was off the mark and Berit Eppard grabbed the board to seal the first-ever victory for Case over the Bears.
Sophomore Melissa Gilkey had 21 points and six boards to lead the Bears, while sophomore Maddy Scheppers added 14 points and eight rebounds. Washington U. shot 39.6 percent (21-53) from the field, and hit 22-of-32 free-throws. The Bears committed 19 turnovers, which resulted in 22 points for the Spartans.
Gilkey was the lone offensive threat early in the contest for Washington U. scoring eight of the first 10 point for the Bears. Marissa Miles, who entered the game averaging 4.1 points per game, equaled the play of Gilkey with seven of the first 11 for Case. Miles' three-pointer from the wing with 15:09 to play gave the Spartans first lead of game at 11-10.
Case extended the run to 13-0 to build a 17-10 lead, despite Washington U. hitting four of its first five shots from the field. The Bears went without a field goal for 7:36 midway through the first half, and faced its largest deficit of nine (21-12) after a jumper by Brooke Orcutt.
A 13-4 run by Washington U. tied the game up at 25-25 with 8:41 to play as five different players scored during the run for the Bears. After a timeout by Case, the Spartans responded with a 9-2 run to take a 34-27 lead and force a WUSTL timeout.
Washington U. trailed 41-38 at halftime, just the third time this season the Bears have trailed at intermission. Gilkey led all scorers with 16 points on 8-of-11 free-throws, while Miles led the Spartans with 11 points. Washington U. shot 48 percent (12-25) from the field in the first half, but committed eight turnovers.
With the score tied at 45-45, sophomore Alyssa Johanson scored four-straight points to highlight a 6-0 run to give the Bears a 49-45 lead. The two teams went back and forth the entire second half, with five ties and four lead changes. Washington U. took its largest lead of the second half at six points (59-53) with 9:03 left in the second half following a pair of free-throws by freshman Katybeth Biewen.
Iacono finished with a game-high 23 points and moved into third place on the all-time Case scoring list with 1,232 points. Miles (11), Erica Iafelice (10) and Emily Mueller (10) also scored in double figures for Case, which improved to 12-6, 4-3 in the UAA. The Spartans, who lead the UAA and rank fifth in NCAA Division III averaging 17.9 assists per game, had 17 assists and 13 turnovers in the victory.
Washington U. (15-3, 5-2 UAA) begins the second of UAA play at home against Carnegie Mellon Friday, Feb. 1, at 8 p.m., and Case Western Reserve Sunday, Feb. 3, at Noon. The Bears fell into third place in the UAA standings with the loss, one game behind Emory University and the University of Rochester.
Bear Notebook: Washington U. leads the all-time series with Case 38-1 … Case was picked sixth in the UAA Preseason Coaches Poll … Washington U. has outrebounded 17 of 18 opponents this season … The Bears are 3-2 on Sunday this season … Gilkey has scored in double figures in 17 of 18 games played in 2012-13.