Case Western Reserve University junior forward Kara Hageman became the first Spartan to break 40 points in a game, finishing with a school-record 41, and senior guard Jess McCoy added 22 points and became the 13th Spartan ever to reach the 1,000 career point mark, but their efforts were not enough for CWRU on Sunday in a 92-79 loss to 11th-ranked Washington University (Mo.) at Adelbert Gymnasium.
Hageman also set a program record for field goals made in a game, shooting 16-of-21 from the floor, including a three-of-four mark from long range. She broke the previous school records of 38 points and 15 made field goals, set by former Spartan Evy Iacono against Carnegie Mellon on January 5, 2013. Hageman did most of her damage in the second half, connecting on 10-of-12 shots, including both three point attempts, for 28 points over the final 20 minutes, and added five rebounds in the game.
Meanwhile, McCoy shot six-of-11 from the field, including a three-point shot with 5:59 remaining in the first quarter that pushed her over 1,000 points for her career. She matched her career high for made three-pointers in a game, shooting five-of-seven from long range, while adding a team-leading seven rebounds and five assists.
The Spartans led for the majority of the first quarter on Sunday, going up by as many as five points in the period following McCoy's three-point shot to go over 1,000 points, which put the team up 12-7. The Bears battled back to take a four-point lead with 1:17 to play in the first, by a layup by Hageman and a three by sophomore guard Alexis Amburgey allowed the Spartans to close the period on a 5-0 run to take a 21-20 lead.
A three and a layup by Hageman helped the Spartans regain a four-point advantage, 28-24, with 7:57 to play in the half, but a 16-5 run by the Bears over the next three minutes put Washington out in front by seven, 40-33, with 4:20 left in the second quarter. The Bears would maintain the seven-point advantage heading into the halftime break.
Washington would lead by as many as nine points on multiple occasions in the third quarter, and as late as the 3:44 mark. However, the Spartans chipped away at the lead, and pulled within five points, 62-57, after a layup by Hageman with time running out in the period. Early in the fourth quarter, a three-pointer by Hageman and a free throw by McCoy trimmed the Bears' lead back to one, 64-63, with 8:16 left on the clock. Case Western Reserve would be unable to regain the lead though, and a 19-5 spurt by Washington over the next five minutes sealed the victory for the Bears.
The Spartans finished the game shooting 48.3% (28-for-58) from the field, including a 45.0% mark (nine-of-20) from beyond the arc. Case Western Reserve shot particularly well in the second half, connecting on 50.0% of their shots, both overall (13-of-26) and from long range (four-for-eight) over the final 20 minutes. However, the Bears' edge in rebounds (43 to 27) and second chance points (21 to 10) proved to be too much for the Spartans to overcome.
Sunday's game wrapped up an impressive weekend for Hageman, who had matched her previous career-high of 28 points on Friday night against Chicago to average 34.5 points over the two contests. She is averaging a team-leading 20.7 points for the Spartans this season.
Sunday's loss dropped the Spartans to 11-7 overall on the year, and to 3-4 in the University Athletic Association this season. Washington, which was led by Madeline Homoly with 33 points and 11 rebounds off the bench, improved to 16-2 overall, and remained in a three-way tie for first in the conference with a 5-2 UAA record.
Sunday also maked the final game of Throwback Weekend 2017 for the Spartans, as the team wore the traditional uniforms of the Mather College team, and played at historic Adelbert Gymnasium.
The Spartans will look to rebound when they hit the road next weekend for conference games against the University of Chicago and Washington. The Spartans will begin the weekend at Chicago, with tipoff scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET on Friday, February 3rd.