St. Louis, Mo., Feb. 1, 2013 - The No. 12-ranked Washington University in St. Louis women's basketball team recorded a season-high 18 steals while forcing 31 turnovers by Carnegie Mellon University as the Bears earned an 85-54 win over the Tartans in University Athletic Association (UAA) action Friday night at the WU Field House.
Washington U. improved to 16-3 overall and 6-2 in the UAA with the win, while Carnegie Mellon dropped to 11-8 overall and 3-5 in conference play. The Bears shot 44.3 percent (31-of-70) from the field in the game, including 7-of-21 (33.3 percent) from three-point range, and equaled their season-high with 26 assists. Carnegie Mellon finished with 29.1 percent (16-of-55) field-goal shooting, including just 1-of-14 (7.1 percent) from three-point range. Washington U. turned CMU's 31 turnovers into a 38-17 advantage in points off turnovers. The Bears were outrebounded for just the second time this season as the Tartans finished with a 44-43 edge on the boards.
Freshman guard Jordan Thompson scored a career-high 16 points, including 3-of-5 from beyond the arc, and dished out a team-high seven assists to lead the Bears offensively. Sophomore forward Melissa Gilkey (12 points) and sophomore guard Alyssa Johanson (10 points) also finished in double-figures for Washington U., who had 15 different players score in the game. Johanson also equaled her career-high with four assists, while recording three rebounds and two steals. Junior guard Lucy Montgomery finished with eight points and a career-high five steals for the Bears.
Washington U. jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the opening two minutes of the game on six points by sophomore guard Maddy Scheppers and four by Gilkey. Carnegie Mellon was 0-of-8 from the field to start the game, and did not record its first field-goal until the 16:01 mark in the first half.
The Bears pushed their lead to 16 points (29-13) after a 9-2 run, which included six-straight points by Johanson and a three-pointer by Thompson, with 7:47 to play in the first half. Washington U. went on an 11-2 run late in the half to extend its lead to 28 points (47-19) with 1:33 left, before heading to halftime with a 49-21 lead. The Bears shot 46.2 percent (18-of-39) from the field in the first half, while Carnegie Mellon was 7-of-27 (25.9 percent) from the field. Washington U. also finished with a 24-2 advantage in points off turnovers in the first half.
Washington U. opened the second half with a 22-9 run to build its largest lead of the game, 71-30, with 11:16 remaining in the game. Carnegie Mellon went on a 10-0 run a few minutes later to pull to within 72-42 with 6:28 to play, but the Tartans were unable to get closer than 29 points as Washington U. earned the 31-point win.
The Bears return to action at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 3, when they host Case Western Reserve University. The Spartans earned a 72-68 win over Washington U. a week ago in Cleveland, Ohio, and improved to 13-6 overall and 5-3 in the UAA with a 76-71 overtime win at the University of Chicago Friday night.
Bear Notebook: Washington U. leads the all-time series against Carnegie Mellon, 47-3 … The Bears are 343-32 (.915) in 29 seasons of play at the WU Field House, including a 9-0 mark at home this season … The Bears are 5-0 in Friday games this season … Washington U. has scored 73 or more points in 11 wins this season and boasts a 38-0 record in the past four seasons when topping that mark.