St. Louis, Mo., Dec. 6, 2017 – The No. 22 Washington University in St. Louis women's basketball team defeated Greenville University 83-56 Wednesday evening in NCAA Division III non-conference action in the WU Field House.
WashU improved to 5-2 on the season while Greenville fell to 5-2. The Bears shot 51.5-percent from the field (35-of-68) and held the Panthers to 31.3-percent (20-of-64). The Red & Green outrebounded Greenville 48 to 33 while also totaling 27 assists to the Panthers 15.
The Bears earned their 400th victory on the Danforth Campus and are one of just seven programs to total more than 800 victories in program history.
Junior Rachael Sondag and sophomore Kristina Schmelter led the game with 16 points each. Also scoring in double figures with 11 points apiece were juniors Caroline Ballard, Stephanie Botkin and Natalie Orr. Setting career-highs were Ballard in points and Botkin with three blocks.
The Bears jumped ahead of Greenville in the first quarter doubling up on the Panthers total, leading 28-14. Greenville held a 10-9 lead within the first four minutes of play before WashU closed out the quarter on a 19-4 run.
The run was sparked by a full-court pass from junior Becca Clark-Callender to junior Sondag for a fast break layup. Junior Ballard added to the run with back-to-back three-pointers to push the Bears ahead 17-10. Sophomore Schmelter scored five consecutive points to cap off 13 unanswered points.
Schmelter led all scorers at the end of the half with 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the floor as WashU added to its lead. The Bears led 43-24 after 20 minutes, converting 19-of-37 shots from the field (51.4-percent). WashU combined for 15 assists in the first half led by Clark-Callender's four.
The Bears offense stayed hot in the third quarter as Sondag got things started with eight straight points. WashU outscored the Panthers 26-7 in the third to increase the Bears lead to 69-31. Sondag poured in 11 points in the quarter on 4-of-4 shooting from the field including three triples.
Greenville outscored WashU in the final quarter of play, 25-14 to trim the lead to 27 but the Bears pulled out the 83-56 victory. Botkin led the Bears with five points in the final quarter while freshman Mary Bryggman scored four points and grabbed two rebounds in her debut.
Wesley Woodard (13), Maria Reinhard (12) and Morgan St. James (10) reached double digits in scoring for the Panthers. St. James also grabbed nine rebounds including three offensively.
WashU will travel to Millikin University Sunday with tip-off scheduled at 4 p.m. Be sure to stay up to date on all the Bears scores and awards by following @WashUBears on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.