Washington University’s women’s basketball team kept the momentum from its victory over Emory to demolish Case Western Reserve 79-57 on Sunday and extended its streak to six straight wins and 19 consecutive home wins.

With these wins, the team moves to 11-3 on the season and 3-0 in UAA play. The Bears now sit just two spots out of the D3hoops.com Top 25 poll.

The Bears dominated the first half of play against Case, taking a 47-23 lead into the locker room, thereby icing the game early.

Junior Jill Brandt led the charge with a career high of 19 points, including three 3-pointers. Juniors Halsey Ward and Shanna Lei Dacanay and freshman Kathryn Berger also scored in double figures, with 18, 12 and 12 points, respectively. Ward also shot a perfect 10-10 from the free throw line.

Berger, who replaced injured junior Jaimie McFarlin in the starting line up, has scored in double figures in five of the last six games. The Lady Bears, who relied on outside shooting before are once again running their offensive game plans.

“We always try to attack from the inside out, and our post players have been doing a great job sensing when to take it themselves and when to kick it out for perimeter shots,” said Brandt. “Our point guards have been doing a great job pushing the ball in transition, so we are getting easy baskets.”

As with most routes, the Lady Bears dominated on both offense and defense. In keeping the lead for the entire game, the Bears out-rebounded the Spartans 47-39 and forced 12 turnovers.

Co-captain and backup center Sarah Tibesar helped cement the defensive effort, posting six rebounds and a block in 18 minutes. Tibesar, the team’s lone senior, emphasized the importance of defense in all games.

“The focus we had on defense gave us good offensive opportunities on the other end of the floor,” said Tibesar.

With a five-game homestand over and a four-game road trip beginning, Brandt emphasized how important the quick start against Case was.

“The past few games against Chicago and Emory, we have started out a little flat, so we were really focused on breaking the game open early on Sunday. Especially in UAA play, it is dangerous to let teams hang around. Fast starts are going to be extremely important this coming weekend against NYU and Brandeis,” she said.

The Jan. 25 contest with eighth-ranked New York University marks the beginning of a tough stretch of games for the Lady Bears. The Violets are 13-1, (2-1 UAA), with their only loss coming at the hands of No. 12 University of Rochester, which the Bears will face on Feb. 1. Between those two contests is a Jan. 27 game against Brandeis, which has fallen from the Top 25 but holds a record of 10-4 (1-2 UAA).

Despite the tough schedule, the team is excited to meet NYU on the road.

“The atmosphere at NYU on a Friday night is loud, exciting, and crowded,” said Ward. “The NYU/Wash. U. rivalry makes competition more anticipated and very exciting.”

“These kinds of games are the toughest, both physically and mentally, but they are also the most fun,” added Brandt. “This is what we all strive for as athletes. It’s the ultimate level of competition, and we wouldn’t want it any other way.”

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