ST. LOUIS – Senior point guard Erica Iafelice (North Canton, Ohio/Hoover) recorded nine points and a team-high eight rebounds, but the Case Western Reserve University women's basketball team fell behind early and couldn't find its shooting touch in a 58-35 loss at No. 12 nationally-ranked Washington University-St. Louis on Sunday afternoon inside the WU Field House.

The Spartans fall to 13-7 overall and 5-4 in the University Athletic Association, while the Bears improve to 17-3 and 7-2 in the UAA.

In the opening half, the Bears jumped out to a quick 6-0 lead before senior center Emily Mueller (Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper St. Clair) got the visitors on the board with a three-pointer at the 17:28 mark. Washington then rattled off an 11-2 run over nearly the next six minutes and possessed a 12-point edge, 17-5, with 11:46 showing on the first half clock.

The Spartans chipped away at the Washington lead with an 8-4 spurt and cut the deficit to just eight, at 21-13, on a free throw make from Mueller at the 7:47 mark, but the Bears quickly pushed the lead back out to double figures. The Bears held their largest advantage of the opening half of 17, at 33-16, on a lay-up by Jordan Rettig with 24 ticks on the clock, but junior guard Julie Mooney (Dublin, Ohio/Dublin Jerome) knocked down a three-pointer as the halftime buzzer sounded via an assist from sophomore guard Brooke Orcutt (Morrison, Colo./Dakota Ridge).

Out of the break, the Bears tallied the initial six points and pushed their advantage to 20 (39-19) as Melissa Gilkey converted a free throw with 16:48 left. However, the Spartans answered with a 6-2 run that included jumpers from Mueller, Iafelice and sophomore forward Erin Reynolds (St. Louis, Mo./Webster Groves), pulling Case to within 16, at 41-25, with 12:03 left.

However, the hosts once again answered with a 4-0 spurt and pushed the lead back to 20 at 45-25. The Spartans were unable to challenge as the Bears cruised to the 23-point victory.

In addition to Iafelice, Mueller finished with 10 points and seven rebounds.

Of note, Iafelice recorded one assist Sunday and sits third in the program's record book with 349 career helpers. She trails just Jeanne Scott (364) and Ashleigh Tondo (358) on the program's all-time list.

For the Bears, Melissa Gilkey posted 14 points and eight rebounds, while Rettig finished with a double-double of 11 points and a game-best 12 boards.

For the game, Washington possessed a 61-36 advantage on the glass and limited the Spartans to just 21.8 percent shooting from the field (12-of-55).

The Spartans now head back home to the friendly confines of Horsburgh Gymnasium next Friday, February 8 for a 6:00 p.m. tip-off with New York University. The game is designated as a Play4Kay contest as the Spartan women will don pink uniforms, and all proceeds will go to benefit the Women's Basketball Coaches Association charity of choice, the Kay Yow Cancer Fund.