Senior Aaron Thompson scored 20 points, but the top ranked Bears fell to Illinois Wesleyan 75-70 in the second round of the Division III NCAA Tournament. (Cedric Xia | Student Life)

The No. 1 Washington University men’s basketball team could not come back from a seven-point deficit with 3:11 left in the second half, losing 75-70 to Illinois Wesleyan University on Saturday night in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

Senior Aaron Thompson recorded 20 points in the game, but was limited in the game with foul trouble. Junior Spencer Gay had 14 points and 13 rebounds, but the Titans’ Sean Johnson scored 24 points.

A 7-0 run gave the Titans a 17-10 lead with 12:30 left in the first half. Turnovers and missed shots plagued the Bears, shooting just from field in the period.

Thompson and graduate student Sean Wallis were forced to sit through most of the first half due to foul trouble. The two combined for just four points and 18 minutes in the period.

With the Bears’ two leading scorers out of the game, the Titans easily maintained their lead.

A layup with 1:18 left in the first half gave the away team an eight-point lead, its largest of the half, but the Red and Green managed to cut it to three by halftime.

Thompson hit a three-pointer, his first of the night, only six seconds into the second period to tie the game. Gay gave the Bears the lead on the following possession, but it would be their only lead for the rest of the game.

Sophomore Jordan Zimmer’s layup gave Illinois Wesleyan a 48-39 advantage with 14:18 left in the game. Aaron Thompson got the Red and Green to within just one point at the 1:46 mark, but the Bears could not complete the comeback.

Illinois Wesleyan is now 4-0 all-time against Washington University in NCAA tournament play.

The victory that led to the matchup with Illinois Wesleyan was a dogfight in itself.

Wallis’s 21 points and 13 assists pushed the Bears past Westminster College in the opening round of the tournament on Friday night, while Richter and Thompson both scored 13 points.

Wash. U. took a 10-9 lead on senior Zach Kelly’s free throws with 14:33 left in the first half, but back-to-back threes gave the Blue Jays a five-point lead. Westminster hit seven three-pointers in the first half alone, four coming from freshman Skylar Tolston.

Junior Caleb Knepper’s long-range shot at 7:49 gave the Bears a lead that lasted for the rest of the half. The Red and Green took a 40-34 advantage into the break.

While Thompson and Gay suffered from foul trouble in the second half, Westminster’s Stanley Crawford took over. Crawford scored 18 points in the second half, keeping his team in the game.

The Blue Jays connected on three straight three-point plays, taking a two-point lead with 13:39 left in the game.

Richter scored seven of the Bears’ nine next points, putting the home team ahead by seven, a lead that would not be surrendered.

Smith’s three-pointer with 1:39 left sealed the win.

Senior Jeremy Rogoff delivers a pitch in the season opener Saturday against Coe College. Rogoff recorded the win by tossing 5 innings of 1 run ball, and the Bears won the game 3-1. (Christina Kelly | Student Life)

The Washington University baseball season has only just begun, and already there have been plenty of ups and downs.

Junior Miguel Davis’ two-run single in the bottom of the sixth inning on Sunday against Fontbonne University capped a five-run rally that was enough to win the game.

“Really, at that point, we were just trying to get a couple of runs on the board—at least cut down the lead,” Davis said. “When I came up, really all I had to do was put the ball somewhere in the outfield, and it just so happened that I got a good pitch to hit.”

The Bears also capitalized on two walks and an error in the key inning.

Junior David Lieberman started the game for the Bears, but struggled through five innings, giving up five earned runs and four walks. A three-run third inning for the Griffins broke a 1-1 tie.

Junior H.T. Flanagan took the mound in relief of Lieberman during the top of the sixth inning, shortly before the Bears’ rally. He finished the game with four scoreless innings.

The victory pushed the Bears to a 2-1 record for the weekend, including a split doubleheader against Coe College on Saturday.

“Saturday obviously wasn’t how we wanted to come out offensively, so I’d say definitely on Sunday, everyone was hoping to come to the plate more aggressive and put up some more runs,” Davis said.

The Bears suffered an 8-0 loss in the second game, but managed a close 3-1 win in the first.

Senior Jeremy Rogoff started the season opener, throwing five full innings and giving up only three hits and one unearned run.

“It was just really good to get back out there, [to] start throwing strikes early,” Rogoff said. “For me, after having a pretty tough season last year, it was just a really good confidence boost to help my team win.”

The Bears got on the board quickly, scoring two runs in the first inning. After loading the bases on two walks and an error, juniors Joe Noon and Matt Skinner forced back-to-back RBI walks.

“Baseball is just a crazy game like that,” Davis said. “Basically, if you make an error, something is going to end up building on top of that. For us, especially early in the season, you have to take advantage of little changes in momentum like that.”

Juniors Adam Merzel and Bryce Hrovat finished the game with three scoreless innings.

Coe responded to the loss with an eight-run performance in the second leg of the doubleheader.

The Kohawks broke a fifth-inning scoreless tie with an RBI groundout, but subsequently scored five more runs in the next inning off freshman reliever Max Gordon.

“It’s kind of a tough period, because we haven’t really been outside at all…so it’s a chance for all of us to get some repetition in and for [Coach Lessmann] to see what lineups are going to work,” Rogoff said. “It’s a little like the preseason, although these games count, so we need to figure it out fast.”

Wash. U. recorded seven hits, but could not score.

As a “Pool B” team, not able to receive an automatic NCAA tournament bid, head coach Ric Lessmann stressed the importance of the Bears winning every game.

“You can’t fool around at this stage in the game…We have to play every game like it’s a tournament game,” he said. “There’s no getting around it. There’s nothing easy about anything we do; there is just one tough game after another.”

The Bears also defeated Greenville College 12-3 on Monday.

Washington University continues with another doubleheader Wednesday against Westminster College. The first pitch is at 1 p.m. at Kelly Field.

The Bears will also compete at the UAA championships in Sanford, Fla., during spring break.

“It’s definitely a little different than the feeling that we came out of here with last year, but any team that makes it into the NCAA tournament is a good team,” senior co-captain Aaron Thompson said.

The Bears will host the first and second rounds of the tournament, opening against Westminster (Mo.) College. Westminster (20-7, 13-3 SLIAC) earned an automatic bid from the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The two teams met in a scrimmage earlier this season.

“The closest game we had last year was the first game, so really, [seeding] is immaterial,” head coach Mark Edwards said. “Every team that is in the tournament is deserving of being in the tournament, and every team that is in the tournament is coming to win it.”

If Wash. U. gets past the Blue Jays, it could potentially face Illinois Wesleyan University in the second round. The Bears defeated the Titans 76-71 in a heated contest on Nov. 22. The other potential opponent is No. 25 Central College (Iowa).

“We’ve had so much development since we’ve played those guys…so I think it’s going to be a lot of fun,” senior co-captain Cameron Smith said.

Also in the pod (the division of 16 teams) are No. 4 St. Thomas University, No. 8 University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point and No. 15 University of Texas-Dallas.

“It’s nice to play at home, but after that, it doesn’t really matter who we play, because we’re going to have to beat them anyway,” Smith said.

Tip-off against Westminster will take place at 8 p.m. on Friday, March 5.

“Westminster is a good team,” Thompson said. “We’ve really just got to be ready to go and on top of our game and get things clicking early.”

View the full men’s basketball NCAA bracket here.

“It’s definitely a little different than the feeling that we came out of here with last year, but any team that makes it into the NCAA tournament is a good team,” senior co-captain Aaron Thompson.

The Bears will host the first and second rounds of the tournament, opening against Westminster (MO) College. Westminster (20-7,13-3 SLIAC) earned the automatic bid from the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The two teams met in a scrimmage earlier this season.

“The closest game we had last year was the first game, so really, [placement] is immaterial.” head coach Mark Edwards said. “Every team that is in the tournament is deserving of being in the tournament, and every team that is in the tournament is coming to win it.”

If Wash. U. gets past the Blue Jays, it could potentially face Illinois Wesleyan University in the second round. The Bears defeated the Titans 76-71 in a heated contest on Nov. 22nd. The other potential opponent is No. 25 Central College (Iowa).

“We’ve had so much development since we’ve played those guys…so I think it’s going to be a lot of fun,” senior co-captain Cameron Smith said.

Also in the pod (the division of 16 teams) are No. 4 St. Thomas University, No. 8 University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point, and No. 15 University of Texas-Dallas.

“It’s nice to play at home, but after that, it doesn’t really matter who we play, because we’re going to have to beat them anyway,” Smith said.

Tip-off against Westminster will take place on Friday, March 5th, at 8 p.m..

“Westminster is a good team,” Thompson said. “We’ve really just got to be ready to go and on top of our game and get things clicking early.”

The full men’s bracket can be downloaded online.

Women’s Basketball Bracket Released

The No. 6 women’s basketball (23-2, 12-1 UAA) faces Maryville (TN) in the NCAA first round.  Maryville has a 22-5 record heading into the tournament.

The first and second rounds will be hosted by No. 16 Thomas More College in Crestview Hills, Kentucky. Thomas More plays against Fontbonne University in the first round.

The full women’s bracket can be downloaded online.

Spencer Gay drives past a defender in Sunday’s victory. The Bears clinched the UAA title and an NCAA tournament bid. (Matt Mitgang | Student Life)

It was hardly an easy feat. On Senior Night, in front of a packed Field House on Friday, the Washington University men’s basketball team secured sole possession of the University Athletic Association title and an automatic NCAA tournament bid with a 65-62 win over Case Western Reserve University.

“Being able to win the UAA outright, on Senior Night, it was kind of a nice feather in our caps as seniors,” senior co-captain Aaron Thompson said. “For the team, it’s just a nice relief knowing that we’re going to be in the tournament for sure, and we don’t have to leave anything to chance.”

Up by two with just 5.9 seconds left in the game, the Bears defense forced a turnover on a Case Western inbounding play, sealing a tense game with an equally tense ending.

“We won [the game], and I thought we played well,” head coach Mark Edwards said. “Sometimes people get caught up in expectations, and they forget about the fact that the object of the game is to win it. Secondly, that nobody is going to play perfect. The third thing is that you’ve got to expect the other team to play well.”

Junior Spencer Gay had a team high of 18 points and three blocks to edge the Bears past the Spartans. Thompson, one of four senior players being celebrated on Friday night, scored 15 points.

The Bears had a hot start, taking a six-point lead with 14:54 left in the first half, relying on a strong inside presence and well-timed passes.

“[My teammates] set good screens for me, and I was wide open,” Gay said. “Sean [Wallis] got me the ball, I got in good position, and all I really had to do was lay it up.”

But with an increased Spartan defense, which forced errors and turnovers, the lead quickly disappeared.

“We’re so confident in each other…that sometimes, if they bump us or take away a cut…[mistakes] happen,” Edwards said. “We just have to know how to deal with it.”

Junior Alex Hildebrandt’s three-point play resulted in a 25-22 advantage with 5:59 to go in the first half as Case took a four-point lead into the break.

At the 15:18 mark in the second half, sophomore Tom Summers’ layup pushed the visitor’s lead to six.

Junior Caleb Knepper’s three-pointer reclaimed the lead for the Bears, part of a 12-4 run, but the game remained a close battle until the final buzzer. Thompson’s three-pointer with 90 seconds left pushed the lead to six, and proved to be vital in the win.

“As a senior, and having played in so many close games over the years, you kind of learn what needed to happen,” Thompson said. “In those situations…it’s your turn to step up to the table and take the team and put them on your shoulders and say, ‘Hey, this is what’s going to happen. Let’s go do it.’”

The Bears carried the momentum from Friday night into Sunday’s game against Carnegie Mellon University, the final home game of the season. Gay led the team, again, with a career high of 22 points. Senior Zach Kelly finished with 13 points in the 95-58 victory.

“Coming into the game, we didn’t feel as much pressure because we secured the UAA championship,” Gay said. “We were relaxed today.”

The conference championship is the Bears’ third in the past four years, and the 10th in program history. Washington University (22-2, 12-1) concludes the regular season on Saturday, Feb. 27, at the University of Chicago (13-11, 7-6).

“I am proud, but I’m also happy for [the team]. The seniors are going to go out in style, and not just with the winning, but putting on a nice legacy for the young kids coming in,” Edwards said.

Sophomore Dylan Richter drives past a Rochester defender on Feb. 5. Richter scored 12 points against Brandeis on Friday. (Cedric Xia | Student Life)

Revenge is a dish best served cold. But in a rematch against No. 21 Brandeis University, the No. 3 Washington University men’s basketball team was far from cold. Shooting a combined 56.7 percent from the field during this past weekend, the Bears grabbed two more conference wins.

“Offensively, we were in a slump for a little while,” sophomore Dylan Richter said. “I guess we all collectively decided to get that out of the way now, so we’ll be ready for tournament time. We knew it was going to come to us, so it was just a matter of time before everything started clicking again, and the past two weekends it has.”

Friday’s matchup at Brandeis gave the Red and Green a chance to avenge a Jan. 15 home loss. Graduate student Sean Wallis led the team with a career-high 29 points, while senior Aaron Thompson added 25.

“They’re a very good team, there’s no doubt about that, and we had to play a great game…in order to beat them,” Wallis said. “Scoring a career high was icing on the cake, but I was just happy to get out of there with a win.”

The Judges maintained a small lead early in the first half, before Wallis’ three-pointer tied the score at 16 with 12:33 to go. The Bears would lead for the rest of the game.

Thompson’s three-pointer gave the Bears a 12-point lead with little more than five minutes left in the first half. The lead would remain into halftime, with the Bears ahead 44-32 at halftime. In the first half alone, Wash. U. shot 66.7 percent from the field (18 of 27).

“A lot of [the success] has to do with good shot selection,” head coach Mark Edwards said. “Our kids have been executing the offense well, and we’ve been ending up getting the shots we’re very comfortable taking.”

While the shots continued to rain in the second half for the away team, Brandeis picked up on the offensive end as well, cutting the lead down to just four points with 12:25 left in the game. More long-range shooting, however, pushed the Bears back out to a 72-57 lead.

“Aaron Thompson and Sean Wallis have been playing outstandingly for the past few months, so teams really key in on them, which gives everyone else the opportunity to roam around a little bit more and get a little bit more open,” Richter said. Richter had 12 points in the game.

The Judges mustered another run late in the half, but the lead was too much to overcome. The Red and Green left Waltham, Mass., with a 92-82 win.

“You never want to lose, especially on your home court, so when they beat us there, we knew we had to turn around and beat them back for that,” Richter said.

The Bears showed much of the same offensive success in Sunday’s matchup against New York University. Thompson again scored 25 points, with junior Spencer Gay adding 16. Wallis had 13 points and seven assists.

The Bears never trailed against the Violets, tying only twice in the game: 2-2 with just a minute into the game, and 11-11 with 11:37 to go in the first half.

A five-point halftime lead exploded in the final 20 minutes of play. Three straight three-pointers from Thompson gave the Red and Green a 38-24 advantage in less than two minutes.

With 1:10 left, a layup from NYU sophomore Andy Stein cut what was once a 16-point lead down to just six. Wash. U., however, held on for the 71-63 win.

With this win, the Bears secured at least a tie for the conference championship. A win over Case Western Reserve University at home this Friday would clinch the Bears’ second straight University Athletic Association title.

“First of all, to be able to go through the UAA and have six of our seven road games completed and having won them all, I think that’s really big,” Edwards said. “You’ve got to win the UAA to be a legitimate contender for the national championship, or to get in the NCAA tournament, so that’s our goal.”

With the weekend victories, the Bears regained the No. 1 ranking in the D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll.

Snow Powers | Student Life

What do you love about your sport(s)?

Varsity sport PE credit. Enough said.
Claire Voris, softball

Playing softball gives me thighs like what what what. Basically, we all have nice thighs and asses, which is awesome.
Antonia Ferguson, softball

I love the fast-paced and competitive nature of the game, while still being lighthearted and not taking itself too seriously.
Neel Kotra, Contra (men’s Ultimate)

The first thing I love is that [football] is all reaction. You get out there and you don’t have time to think. There’s thinking that goes in right up until the ball is snapped, but once the ball is snapped, you just go in and you do what you can. You react, but it’s all natural from that point in.
Jim O’Brien, football

I love how swimming wakes me up in the morning. When I don’t have morning practice, it takes me a couple of hours to wake up fully. But when I have practice first, I start my day physically tired, but mentally ready to go.
Dima Galkin, swimming and diving

What can fans love about your sport(s)?

Often we wear spandex and participate in strip fests changing into street clothes after a game.
Antonia Ferguson, softball

Fans can love the fast pace and the frequent exciting plays. Also, it’s not too low-scoring like some soccer or hockey matches can be, but it’s not crazily high-scoring like basketball. In addition, since it is a relatively unknown sport, by watching and enjoying it, you don’t feel like a bandwagon fan.
Neel Kotra, Contra (men’s Ultimate)

The fact is that it’s such a team sport. You need everyone firing at the same time to succeed, and watching when a team is successful, you can really tell that they’re doing the right things.
Tim Machan, football

We have a dedicated group of guys who demonstrate the team concept very well. We all compete very hard and realize that basketball is a sport we all love and respect.
Sean Wallis, men’s basketball

People have evolved for living on land. There’s something magical about seeing people excel in water.
Dima Galkin, swimming and diving

Fans should love soccer, because it is a game that is constantly being played, which allows for a lot of fan interaction and amusement, as we have proved during our performances for the girls’ soccer team during the playoffs.
Peter Jebson, men’s soccer

What do you love about D-III and playing at the D-III level?

I’m not a math student, but last I checked III > I.
Claire Voris, softball

I enjoy competing at the Division III level, because we’re all on an even playing field; nobody gets their tests taken for them.
Patrick Ryan, cross country/track and field

I love the challenge, I love the fact that people don’t necessarily know that I play a sport; that they can see me as somebody first, as a student first or as a person first.
Jim O’Brien, football

I love D-III because everyone is competing and training because they love it, not because they are paid to do it. It’s the true love of the sport.
Molly Schlamb, cross country/ track and field

How much does your sport help in getting guys or girls?

If you’re on a varsity sport, you’re pretty much guaranteed to be in good shape. Certainly sports give you a lot of confidence.
Chris Malaya, track and field

I can’t say it’s helped me get any guys, but I have been very successful with the ladies. I think my sexy uniform, my seductive face in media photos, and the amazing tan I get during the season all contribute to that success.
Zoë Unruh, women’s basketball

Not at all, really. I pulled the varsity athlete line once kind of jokingly, but kind of serious, just to see if it worked. It did not work. I think Wash. U. girls get more aroused hearing that you got a perfect score on your ACT or that you want to be a doctor or researcher or something.
Miguel Davis, baseball

Girls generally love tall, skinny, nerdy guys, so I would say cross country is instrumental in me “getting” girls.
Will Forrester, cross country

How does being in a varsity sport affect your relationship/dating life?

Being on the track and cross country teams has been great for my dating life. Going to bed early, staying in on Friday nights, and losing eight to 12 hours of sleep every Saturday really give me a leg up on the dating scene.
Patrick Ryan, cross country

[Being in a relationship] gives you an extra someone you can talk to about your frustrations, or goals, or whatever you’re doing with the season.
Michael Chamberlin, men’s soccer

It’s never hindered my dating life, but I’ve only ever dated athletes…so that may be the hindrance.
Leslie Davis, women’s soccer

It kills it. I have no time for females, but I’d like to use this issue of StudLife to put out an ad if I may—Dylan Richter, 6-foot-3, wears number 20, looking for a fun cute girl to spend hours gazing into each other’s eyes. Facebook message if interested. ;)
Dylan Richter, men’s basketball

What are the best or worst sports pickup lines that you’ve heard or used?

Hey there, need some help with your ball handling?
Zoë Unruh, women’s basketball

I’ll show you my breast if you show me your fly.
Karina Stridh, swimming and diving

Get ready for a throw-in, because I’m about to cross a line with you.
Michael Chamberlin, men’s soccer

The best is probably lying and saying you play for the basketball team.
Jim O’Brien, football

Your sport is like sex because ______

Basketball is like sex because with enough practice, you can score consistently.
Zoë Unruh, women’s basketball

Softball is like sex because we are always going for a home run.
Antonia Ferguson, softball

Football is like sex because we go hard, we go long, and at the end you’re really sweaty.
Tim Machan, men’s football

Soccer is like sex because it is unwelcome in the workplace.
Paula Davis, women’s soccer

Your sport is like love because ______

Cross country and track are like love because they drive you crazy, but you keep coming back for more.
Hope Rathnam, cross country/track and field

Baseball is like love because our season is very, very long. It takes a lot out of time and energy out of you, but in the end is definitely worth it.
Miguel Davis, baseball

Swimming is like love because swimmers don’t play “games”, and aren’t always looking to “score” like most other athletes. Instead, we’ll dedicate ourselves for hours and hours for a single event, and will continue to work on it whether we’ve had the time of our lives or a terrible setback.
Karina Stridh, swimming and diving

Senior Aaron Thompson dribbles around a Rochester defender. (Cedric Xia | Student Life)

Senior co-captain Aaron Thompson’s 29 points pushed Washington University past conference rival University of Rochester, while the Bears used an all-around strong effort to pick up two conference wins over the weekend.

“I feel like each game is kind of a step to our ultimate goal of winning the [University Athletic Association], then going to the [NCAA tournament], and then hopefully winning that,” junior Spencer Gay said. “Each game that we win is just very important.”

Thompson scored eight straight of his 16 points to end the first half against the Yellowjackets on Friday night, building a 27-20 lead for the Bears.

“Aaron is the kind of player who can dominate a game,” senior co-captain Cameron Smith said. “Obviously with his scoring ability, but I think that a lot of people don’t notice all the little things he does besides scoring. He is a good defender, a good rebounder…He’s a smart player.”

But the lead was quickly erased by a 10-1 Rochester run. Wash. U. battled back, taking a five-point lead after graduate student and co-captain Sean Wallis’ layup.

The Yellowjackets never came closer than five points for the rest of the game. Smith recorded 10 points in the 68-59 victory.

The Bears exhibited an even greater performance on Sunday against Emory University.

In the 83-69 win, Gay had his second double-double of the season with 18 points and 11 rebounds, while Smith had 15 points, a career high. Junior forward Caleb Knepper added 13 points.

“I was kind of disappointed how I played the week before, in my hometown [Atlanta],” Gay said. “I told myself that I really wasn’t going to think about anything. I was just going to play hard…try to start it up on defense, and let everything else come to me.”

Smith got the Red and Green on the board first with a three-pointer at the 18:40 mark. Back-to-back long-range shots from the senior pushed the score to 15-5 minutes later. All of Smith’s points in the game came from behind the arc.

“Emory came out in a triangle and two [defense], which is pretty much designed to guard two people…really tightly, so they were guarding Sean [Wallis] and [Aaron Thompson],” Smith said. “That kind of left me, Spencer [Gay] and Zach [Kelly] room to work. We had some really good shots. I had wide open looks from the outside.”

Yet another Smith three-pointer, this time with 2:52 left in the half, matched the Bears’ largest lead of the period at 14 points. Wash. U. would take a 13-point advantage into the break.

The double-digit lead was not enough. Gay’s layup with 14:49 left in the second half extended the lead to 49-28.

“The game [Emory] played before, on Friday, they were actually down by 20 at the beginning of the second half,” Gay said. “They came back and won in overtime. We knew that we had to come out, in the second half, really ready to go.”

Gay, the UAA leader in blocked shots, had three in the game.

The Bears’ largest lead of the game, 28 points, came with 5:10 left in the game. Junior J.D. Elder’s three-pointer put an exclamation mark on a day that was all Bears.

Washington University (18-2, 8-1) hits the road this upcoming weekend, hoping to avenge a 58-55 overtime loss to Brandeis University (15-4, 6-3) on Jan. 15. The Bears take on the Judges this Friday, before heading to the Big Apple to face New York University (14-6, 5-4) on Sunday.

“We missed free throws, made turnovers, and had a lot of opportunities to win [against Brandeis] that we didn’t get done,” Smith said. “We’re excited to go up there and try to close the deal this time.”

Junior Spencer Gay goes up for the lay-up against the University of Rochester in a 68-59 victory on Friday. Gay had three blocks and four points in the game. (Matt Mitgang | Student Life)

The path to redemption is a long and arduous one. Washington University forward Spencer Gay knows this first hand. After two full years of riding the pine for the men’s basketball team, the 6-foot-6-inch, 200-pound junior has finally arrived.

“It’s definitely been a transition, definitely been two years in the making,” Gay said. “I saw what Troy Ruths did my freshman year, and then I saw what Tyler [Nading] did my sophomore year, so I had a really good opportunity here to learn from them.”

Coming out of Mill Creek High School as a four-year letterwinner, Gay was just looking to learn. He spent his entire freshman year, the 2007-2008 season, as a reserve player with the Bears’ junior varsity squad.

“I thought I could come in, and probably make a difference, but I realized I wasn’t physically ready enough,” he said. “I was disappointed, but at the same time, I’m not going to cry over spilled milk.”

With Gay on the bench, the team won the Division III national championship.

Using the excitement, experience and knowledge gained in his first year on the team, Gay hoped to make a big splash during his second. It never happened.

“My sophomore year, I felt like physically I was a step closer, but mentally I wasn’t ready for the rigors of the season,” he said. “Last year, I really didn’t like that I wasn’t contributing, but it was still very invaluable to me.”

He appeared in 14 games for the Bears, all off the bench, in 2008-2009. Despite moving up from the junior varsity team, Gay averaged just 0.4 points per game for the season and 0.7 rebounds per game, and recorded only one block.

“I had a really small opportunity,” he said. “I came in ready, and then the first game came along, and I just really didn’t play well. I was mentally unsure of myself, and I just wasn’t strong enough. If somebody is ready before you and you’re not ready at the time, then they’re definitely going to play above you. No matter what.”

Again, the Bears won the national championship while Gay played with a very limited role on the team. This offseason would be different, however.

“The first thing I did was I realized that I needed to hit the weight room a lot harder,” Gay said. “The second thing I did was I looked back at my two years…I evaluated what I did, what I did wrong, and what I could do better. This summer I really worked on my focus. Whenever I saw Tyler [Nading] play, I just saw how hard he played. I feel like our team needs that no matter what, so I tried to work on that too.”

After nearly seven months to train and improve, Gay came back ready for a new role on the team. He was chosen to play behind junior Caleb Knepper to start the season.

“When he came back here this fall, he was a much more complete player,” head coach Mark Edwards said. “[His offseason training] contributed to him coming into the season this year with a focus and a goal of being able to contribute to this program, and I think that he’s proven that it works.”

In a Dec. 9 matchup against then No. 8 Wheaton College, Gay made a name for himself. He scored 14 points in 13 minutes, coming off the bench and, more importantly, helping lead the Bears to a statement win.

“It’s always really tough coming off the bench, I feel like. You’re not really in good rhythm, yet you’ve got to adjust to what already happened,” Gay said. “I took that as a challenge, and I set goals at the beginning of the season. I just kept telling myself, ‘I’m going to make these goals happen.’”

Just a short number of games after, he was promoted to a starting spot on the team. The player, who for two years was mostly anonymous, was now winning games for the Bears. In 19 games this season, he is averaging 7.4 points per game and 4.7 rebounds per game.

“Something we had last year, at the four position, was Tyler Nading. He brought energy to the court every time he was out there,” senior co-captain Cameron Smith said. “I think one of the things that occurred to Spencer during his maturing process is him saying…‘If I put energy and effort into every play, then I’m going to be a contributor.’”

Gay insists he’s just trying to be himself on the court.

“There’s no way I can replace Tyler, but I can do as best as I can being Spencer Gay,” he said. “I’m not trying to replace anybody, or do anything outside of what I do. I’m just trying to do what I do as best I can do it, to help us win games.”

“To escape the top half of the conference with a 2-1 record is something we’re okay with,” graduate student Sean Wallis said. “We’re not thrilled about it, but it’s no reason to hit the panic button at this point.”

The Bears worked to keep up with the Judges in their Jan. 15 contest. An 18-14 Wash. U. lead at the 10:34 mark in the first half was quickly erased by a 14-1 Brandeis scoring run. Despite the 8:54 run, the Bears took only a 30-26 deficit into the break.

Both teams struggled to score in the second half. After battling back from a seven-point deficit, both the Bears and the Judges went cold. In the next 8:34, the teams scored only a combined six points. Junior Spencer Gay’s game-tying layup with only 12 seconds left in the game was the first field goal for the Red and Green in nearly 9:30 minutes.

“We didn’t necessarily get some of the looks we wanted to get, but I mean those are things that happen every season,” senior Cameron Smith said. “Every year you have times when you’re not playing your best and you’re making little mistakes.”

In overtime, down 55-53 with only 10 seconds left, Wash U. missed two crucial free throws, allowing Brandeis to escape with a victory. As a team, the Bears were 10 of 22 from the free-throw line.

A Jan. 4, 64-60 win over University of Chicago and a Jan. 17, 60-57 win over New York University could not have come closer.

After trailing by as many as seven points to the Maroons in the first half, a three-pointer from Wallis with 2:38 left in the period cut the lead 28-27.

Coming out of halftime with a 30-28 deficit, Wallis’s jumper with 18:14 remaining gave the Bears their first lead of the game. Wallis recorded 24 points in the contest.

“I just made a concerted effort to start trying to get to the basket a little more than I had been and…not just relying on my outside shot,” Wallis said. “It definitely was a more conscious [effort] on my part, but at the same time, it also is taking what the defense gives you.”

Minutes later, senior Aaron Thompson’s three-pointer gave the Bears a 39-38 lead. The Bears would stay ahead for the rest of the game.

Wallis and Gay led the Red and Green through another tough game against NYU, scoring 22 and 11 points, respectively. Gay scored the team’s first six points against the Violets, but the Bears were cold from the floor.

Wallis’s three with 16:35 left in the first half put the Bears on top 9-8. It was the only basket from behind the arc, with the Bears shooting 1 of 13 (7.7 percent) from long range and 9 of 29 (31 percent) from the field in the first half.

Despite the poor shooting, rebounding kept the Bears alive. Wash. U. out-rebounded NYU 26-14 in the first half, limiting the Violets to only one offensive board. Gay recorded nine rebounds in the win.

“Whenever I’m in the game, I try to focus on my energy and try to get the energy of [my teammates] up,” Gay said. “Most of that focuses on defense.”

The game was a back-and-forth battle in the second half, but Thompson’s layup with 4:18 left in the game gave the Bears a lead they would not relinquish.

For the next four games, the Bears are on the road, taking on UAA foes Case Western Reserve University (9-5, 1-2) at 8 p.m. (ET) tonight in Cleveland and Carnegie Mellon University on Sunday in Pittsburgh.

“We’ve just got to keep making steps forward on this road trip,” Gay said. “I feel like the other teams really know what to expect of us, so we’re not trying to send any messages. We’re just trying to get back on track.”