Waltham, Mass., Jan. 20, 2019 – The Washington University in St. Louis women's basketball team's offense exploded for a 101-67 road victory during a University Athletic Association (UAA) game at Brandeis University Sunday afternoon in the Red Auerbach Arena.
WashU improved to 11-5 overall on the season, including 5-0 in UAA play while stretching its season-long win streak to six games. The Judges fell to 6-9 on the year, including 2-3 within UAA play. The Bears reached triple figures for the second time this season while shooting a season-best 58.8 percent from the field (40-68) and recording a season-best 31 assists, just two shy of tying the school record.
Senior guard Becca Clark-Callender reached double figures in assists for the second time this season, tallying a game-high 10 assists. With the 10 assists, she has accumulated 299 in her career which is good for 10th all-time in program history. Clark-Callender bypassed Kim Brandt's 299 assists (1989-93) for sole possession of 10th place and is just one shy of tying Debby Braun for ninth (300, 1983-86) and five shy of Emily Harold for eighth (304, 1996-00).
Senior forward Stephanie Botkin started her first game in more than a month and responded with a 20 point outpouring on 50 percent shooting from the field (7-14) and seven rebounds. Also reaching double figures in scoring for the Bears were senior forward Madeline Homoly (17), junior center Kristina Schmelter (15), freshman forward Samantha Weaver (12) and senior guard Rachael Sondag (10).
Despite Botkin earning the starting nod, WashU's bench which has proven to be a major facor in the Bears win streak still excelled. WashU's second unit outscored Brandeis' 41-25.
Brandeis scored the opening basket of the game but WashU quickly responded to take the lead by scoring on the following two possessions for a 4-2 advantage on a layup by senior forward Stephanie Botkin. The Judges rallied back to take the lead with 6:36 to go in the first quarter before Botkin hit a three pointer on an assist by Clark-Callender to put the Bears back ahead.
Junior center Kristina Schmelter made a layup with 4:09 to play in the opening quarter which stretched the WashU advantage to five points. Brandeis trimmed the lead back down to a single point just a minute later but the Bears closed out the quarter on an 8-2 run for a 22-15 advantage as senior forward Madeline Homoly sank a jumper in the closing seconds.
Freshman forward Samantha Weaver hit a jumper less than two minutes into the second quarter which expanded the gap to 10 points, 28-18. The Bears continued to pull away as they outscored Brandeis 23-14 in the second quarter and held a 45-29 halftime lead.
Schmelter led WashU with nine points, while six Bears recorded at least two baskets in the opening 20 minutes of play. Weaver was a perfect 3-for-3 from the field for six points off the bench as WashU's bench outscored Brandeis' 20-10. The Bears also held a 15-2 advantage in assists with Clark-Callender leading the charge with six.
The Bears scored on 12 of its opening 13 possessions in the third quarter and pushed their lead to 30 points, 71-41 on a layup by Weaver with 3:20 left. The Judges cut the deficit to 24 points by the end of the quarter with a 9-3 run.
Clark-Callender recorded her 10th assist of the game with more than eight minutes to go in the game. She and the remainder of the Bears starters went to the bench with about seven minutes left to play. Clark-Callender has reached double digits in assists twice on the season.
Sophie Trachtenberg led the Judges with 14 points while Camila Casanueva and Maya Burris also reached double figures with 12 points apiece.
WashU returns to the WU Field House this weekend when it hosts Carnegie Mellon University on Friday, Jan. 25 at 6 p.m. before clashing with fellow UAA unbeaten Case Western Reserve University on Sunday, Jan. 27 at 2 p.m. Be sure to stay up to date on all your Bears scores and awards by following @WashUBears on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.