Jaimie McFarlin drives across the paint looking for an open shot against Carnegie Mellon University on Feb. 21. McFarlin scored 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds last Saturday at Chicago. On Saturday, she became 10th player in school history to score 1,000 points in a career. (Josh Goldman | Student Life)

After reaching the Final Four twice in the last three years, the Washington University women’s basketball team certainly has its work cut out as it attempts to extend that streak.

With the team’s first match-up on Friday, the Bears find themselves in a very formidable bracket, as seven other teams in the Top 25 of D3hoops.com’s rankings sit in Wash. U.’s group of 16 teams.

“We try not to look at the difficulty of bracket too much ,” senior Zoë Unruh said, “just because it’s more important at this point in the season to look at yourself and focus on how you’re playing versus your opponent.”

The group opens up on Friday at 5 p.m. in Crestview Hills, Ky., where it will face Maryville College (22-5, 13-1 Great South Athletic Conference) out of Maryville, Tenn. The Scots reached the tournament by capturing the GSAC championship.

“They’re a really aggressive defensive team, [and they] really like to push the ball,” head coach Nancy Fahey said. “They have a really balanced scoring attack. They’re going to be a formidable opponent.”

If the Bears advance past the first round, they may face their regional host school, No. 16 Thomas Moore College, in the second round. Past the second round could be waiting any one of six other ranked teams, ranging from No. 20 Messiah College in the Sweet 16 to the reigning national champions, No. 5 George Fox University, in the Elite Eight.

The latter of those possibilities is one that the Bears are certainly excited at the chance of experiencing, after the defeat that the Bruins handed them in last year’s championship game.

“I would love to play them again,” Unruh said. “There’s still a lot of emotion from that game. It would be awesome if we both made it to the Elite Eight and we got to play them, simply for revenge’s sake, but it’d be exciting.”

Though the Bears are certainly excited at the possibility of exacting revenge for last season, they recognize that the games have to be handled one at a time.

“In my experiences, tournament runs can pivot on the bounce of a ball or a shot just rolling out,” Fahey said. “We understand it’s very fragile, and right now our respect is just going to Maryville.”

Every returning member of the team has NCAA tournament experience and knows what is coming.

“It’s about going to the game with intensity, and if you know ahead of time that it’s going to be that intense, it might give you an edge, but you definitely can’t take it for granted,” Unruh said. “We do realize it’s a privilege to be in the tournament. We’ve earned it, and now it could be one and done.”

View the full women’s basketball NCAA bracket here.

Jaimie McFarlin dribbles down the court at a game on February 28, 2010 against Case Western. (Paul Goedeke | Student Life)

In the final game of the regular season for the Washington University women’s basketball team, the Bears put forth an effort that they can only hope is reflective of things to come as they reach the NCAA Tournament.

Graduate student Jaimie McFarlin and junior Alex Hoover both matched their season highs in points, and a strong second-half attack from Wash. U. put away the University of Chicago on Saturday, 71-60. With the victory, the Bears clinched the University Athletic Association (UAA) title outright and an automatic NCAA bid. This is the 19th UAA title for the Lady Bears.

Behind McFarlin’s double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds to go with 17 points from Hoover, the Bears finished the regular season on an eight-game win streak, with a mark of 23-2 overall and 13-1 in conference.

The Bears’ dominance in the UAA, however, was an afterthought for most of the first half of the game, as the Maroons held a lead for the majority of the early going. When the Bears were down 19-10—their largest deficit of the game—almost midway through the first half, head coach Nancy Fahey called a time-out.

“We didn’t run our defensive system well [in the first half],” McFarlin said. “We just completely relaxed defensively. Also, our shots just weren’t falling. We had a lot of open looks and they just didn’t go in.”

Out of the huddle from that timeout, junior Kathryn Berger hit a 3-pointer, and slowly, the Bears fought to a 23-23 tie with 7:34 left in the half. The teams traded the lead twice more before heading to the locker rooms at a 33-33 tie at the half.

After giving up the lead in the opening minutes of the second half, McFarlin took charge with a run where she blocked a shot and scored seven of the Bears’ points in a row, giving the Red and Green a lead they would never relinquish.

“I had hit some good shots in the first half and I was going to keep shooting until I missed,” McFarlin said. “We needed someone to step up and make some big shots and mine just went in.”

With McFarlin’s 10 points in the first seven minutes of the half setting the tone, the Bears controlled the game the rest of the way, as Chicago fought down the stretch but never got any closer than five points.

McFarlin also scored the 1,000th point of her Wash. U. career in the second half.

“I think it goes to show how many great players we have. You can’t score 1,000 with this program unless you have some great teammates to get you some open looks,” McFarlin said. “It’s been a heck of a five years.”

Junior Kelsey Robb agreed. “This such an amazing accomplishment [considering] our team is very big on sharing the ball and passing around to get an open shot,” Robb said.

Wash. U. will learn who they will face in the NCAA tournament at 11:30 a.m. in the DUC Fun Room.

Junior Alex Hoover drives past a Carnegie Mellon defender on Sunday. Hoover scored a game high 17 points in Friday’s win over Case Western. (Josh Goldman | Student Life)

Juniors Kathryn Berger and Alex Hoover led the way in a 71-54 win against Case Western Reserve University on Friday, and it was Evans and Unruh who brought the points on Sunday as the Bears closed out their home schedule for the year with an 89-61 win over Carnegie Mellon University.

“It was a big weekend for us,” Unruh said. “It’s always kind of weird when it’s your last two guaranteed home games. It’s emotional, but it was a lot of fun.”

There was no shortage of production for the Bears on offense this weekend, with Sunday’s game being the highlight. Shot after shot fell for the Bears, who put up 52 points in the first half while shooting 60 percent from the field.

Evans scored all 14 of her points in the half to go along with Unruh, who put up 17 of her 20 in the half.

“I think definitely today we picked up the pace a lot,” Unruh said on Sunday. “We’re shooting well. We’ve definitely got a bit more confidence in our shooting.”

Friday’s contest against Case started as a close one, as the teams traded baskets and Case’s press troubled the Bears on the offensive end. An eight-point run from Berger put them in motion late in the first half, and they took a 40-28 lead into the half.

Berger’s efforts were complemented by Hoover’s, who scored 10 of her 17 points in the first half. The Bears jumped out to a lead as big as 26 points in the second half and cruised through the rest of the game.

But the big story on Friday was the pregame ceremony that honored the seniors and their achievements. Niese, Unruh and Evans have combined for a 92-21 record and a 47-8 record in University Athletic Association play in their time here.

“You look at their contributions both on and off the court, and it’s incredible,” head coach Nancy Fahey said. “Two Final Fours, four trips to the NCAA tournament and, more importantly, the leadership and the quality of people that they are. They should be proud of their legacy here.”

The seniors said they all were proud of the season and their accomplishments.

“We spend every single day in the gym shooting,” Niese said. “Basically we’re a family. It’s just a way of life now.”

With the wins, the Bears stand at 22-2 and have clinched at least a share of the UAA title for the 12th time in the last 13 seasons. They can clinch an outright title, and an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, with a win at Chicago on Saturday.

“Our conference is one of the toughest in the nation, and if you win that, you put yourself in place with some of the best in the nation,” McFarlin said. “So it’s big. It’s great to be the champ against all of these schools with great basketball programs.”

Senior Janice Evans passes the ball around a defender. Evans will be honored on Friday at Senior Night before the game. (Matt Mitgang | Student Life)

The No. 6 Washington University women’s basketball team is on top of the University Athletic Association conference with a 20-2 record (10-1 UAA), and the team’s seniors have provided veteran leadership that has played a huge part in the team’s success. One of these seniors, forward and co-captain Janice Evans, is coming off of a strong effort against New York University in which she scored 14 points and helped the Bears pull away in the second half. With the team’s seniors to be honored before Friday’s game for Senior Night, Evans has been named Student Life’s Female Athlete of the Week.

Student Life: What did you think about the New York University game, especially in the second half, and about how you guys are playing right now?
Janice Evans: We’re playing a lot better. We had a little rough patch when we hit the road two weekends in a row. Our shots are falling, and we’re getting off to better starts in games.

SL: How does this season, for you, compare to last season, and what kind of added responsibilities do you feel being a captain of this team?
JE: I definitely feel more responsibility for myself and my actions and for my teammates. Basketball-wise, it feels the same. I think we’re doing well. There’s always that sense of urgency seniors feel when they’re in their last year. We just want to win the UAA, get into the tournament, and work our way through there.

SL: You’re one of three seniors (with Stacey Niese and Zoë Unruh) who will be honored this Friday at Senior Night. What has it meant to you to be a part of this team and this group of seniors?
JE: I probably can’t even put it in words. Stacey and Zoë are two of my closest friends here, two of my roommates, and it’s just been a really special time these last four years to share with the two of them. It’s nice that the three of us stuck around, and it’s nice to be able to celebrate what we’ve done here.

SL: What kind of a relationship have you developed with head coach Nancy Fahey over these last four years?
JE: Coach Fahey is like a mom away from home. She looks out for you, keeps you in line if you’re doing something crazy. She’s an excellent mentor and an excellent coach. She’s a really great person outside of basketball. She’s done a lot of great things for people on this team and has helped all of us become strong women.

SL: Are there any pre-game rituals that you have?
JE: In the green room, Hannah Cusworth and I sing these songs, and at the end of one of the songs, we have this little dance-off, and we have to come up with a new dance every game, so I’m running out of ideas. I have to get creative.

Evans and the Bears face Case Western Reserve University at 6 p.m. on Wednesday and Carnegie Mellon at 1 p.m. on Sunday in their last home games of the regular season.

In both of the weekend’s games, the Bears grabbed control early on and never gave up the lead. Junior Alex Hoover’s 15 points paced the Bears as they routed the Rochester Yellowjackets 68-40 on Friday night at the Wash. U. Field House. They followed up with another big win against the Emory Eagles with a score of 61-47 on Sunday.

“It’s really beneficial when you’re not worrying about playing catch-up with the team,” senior co-captain Janice Evans said. “It makes you feel good about how you’re playing.”

The wins improved the Bears to 18-2 overall and 8-1 in conference as they maintained their lead over the rest of the University Athletic Association.

The majority of the first half consisted of the two teams trading blows, with an early Wash. U. run being countered by Rochester. This gave the Bears a slim 16-15 lead before Evans stole the momentum from the Yellowjackets. Evans made a jumper and then stole the ball and passed it to Hoover, who dished it right into sophomore Bethany Morrison’s hands for a three-pointer.

That sequence was the beginning of a 15-1 Bears run that senior co-captain Zoë Unruh  capped off with another three-pointer. The Red and Green took a 32-18 lead into the half, with Hoover’s 11 first-half points leading the way.

“Coach [Nancy] Fahey had talked to me before the game about how I needed to be more of a threat on offense,” Hoover said. “So I took that to heart and tried to be more aggressive, and it worked out well.”

The Bears extended their lead even farther out after halftime, as Unruh pitched in eight more points while Evans and graduate student Jaimie McFarlin both added five more. The team shot 44 percent from the field and was extremely efficient from three-point range, hitting eight of 13 shots.

With the win, the Bears successfully avenged their only conference loss of the season, which had taken place a week earlier on Rochester’s home court.

“There was for sure some extra fire,” Evans said. “We didn’t like losing. It was an ugly loss we had at their place, so to come back and do what we did was great.”

The Bears’ winning ways continued against Emory on Sunday, when the they pulled away right from the beginning. The Eagles put up no points until almost halfway through the first half, while the Red and Green dashed to a 13-0 lead. A 36-10 halftime margin gave the Bears all of the cushion they needed for the rest of the game.

McFarlin led the team with 11 points, all of which came in the first half as several of the team’s regulars sat out most of the second. The team defense was the highlight for the Bears, as eight different players recorded steals and held the Eagles to 34 percent shooting from the field. Wash. U. also forced 19 turnovers and converted 21 points.

“We take a lot of pride in trying to stop people defensively,” head coach Nancy Fahey said. “We had to adjust against Emory and we did a pretty good job.”

Wash. U. is back on the road for their next two games, as the Bears head to the Northeast for the weekend. They face Brandeis University on Friday in Waltham, Mass., followed by a contest at New York University on Sunday.

Saints quarterback Drew Brees can help bring a Super Bowl win to New Orleans. (William Colgin | Biloxi Sun-Herald | MCT CAMPUS)

The signal caller

Now I’m not trying to say that Saints quarterback Drew Brees is better than his counterpart in this game, Peyton Manning. Manning is the best QB in the NFL, and that’s obvious. But if there’s a single player that possibly could mean as much to his team as Manning does to the Colts, it would be the man who has led New Orleans to the NFL’s No. 1 offense in three of his four seasons in the Big Easy. His best offensive weapons are a seventh-round receiver from Hofstra (Marques Colston) and a running back who has been well on his way to becoming a bust (Reggie Bush). Brees is the embodiment of this team, and he’s in the middle of arguably the best season of his career, with a 71 percent completion rate and an off-the-charts 109.6 QB rating. He is the New Orleans Saints, plain and simple.

The D

What has NOT always been the case for the Saints is the presence of a respectable defense. At first glance, the numbers for the Saints’ defense aren’t encouraging: Twenty-fifth in the league in total defense, 20th in scoring defense. But against Peyton Manning in the playoffs, the way you beat him on defense is to force turnovers. The Saints are one of the best in the league at that, with 39 on the season. Veteran safety Darren Sharper will be sitting in the secondary, waiting to capitalize on any mistakes that Peyton may make. If unheralded defensive linemen Sedrick Ellis and Will Smith can get any pressure on Peyton without New Orleans needing to bring the blitz (against which Manning always thrives), New Orleans has a chance.

The injury report

The Saints have a handful of players who are currently nicked up a bit, but none to the point where they need to worry. The focus here is on Colts All-Pro defensive end Dwight Freeney. With Freeney nursing a ligament tear in his ankle and facing uncertainty regarding his playing status, the prospects for New Orleans are going up. Even if Freeney can play, his style of play is heavily reliant on his speed from the outside, and his ankle injury might slow him down for just the split-second that Drew Brees and his lightning-quick release may need. What was potentially a huge area of concern for the Saints, with Freeney up against reserve left tackle Jermon Bushrod, could potentially become an advantage for the Black and Gold.

The X-factor: Reggie Bush

Coming out of the University of Southern California in the 2006 draft, Bush was being hailed as one of the best prospects of the last decade. What has he had to show for it in his first four seasons? More than 3,000 total yards from scrimmage, 17 fumbles and a handful of injuries. After a spectacular divisional round showing against the Cardinals, Bush had seven carries for 8 yards along with a fumble in the NFC Championship Game. No one will deny that Bush has some incredible athletic ability, but his inconsistency has given Saints fans headaches. A memorable performance in the Super Bowl could save Reggie’s Saints career; another no-show that contributes to a Saints loss could give him the permanent bust label down in New Orleans.

Prediction:

Saints 30, Colts 28.

Junior Hannah Cusworth scored a career-high 12 points in a loss to No. 24 University of Rochester on Friday night. (Matt Mitgang | Student Life)

In the latter half of their four-game UAA road trip, the Bears suffered their second loss of the season, falling to the University of Rochester 63-51 on Friday in Rochester, N.Y. The loss was both the first for the Bears in conference play and the first loss since November.

The team did manage to split the weekend with a 70-60 win on Sunday at Emory University in Atlanta.

The results moved Wash. U. to 16-2 overall and 6-1 in UAA play. This marks the second straight year that a road game at Rochester (15-3, 5-2) has been the team’s first conference loss.

“They’re a well disciplined team, and they did a great job defensively,” head coach Nancy Fahey said. “Their defense forced the shots that we missed.”

Despite out-rebounding Rochester at the break 27-23, the Bears shot a paltry 6 of 32 from the field, were held scoreless for the first seven minutes of the game and had their lowest-scoring half of the season, as they found themselves in a 30-16 hole at the break.

“It doesn’t matter as much if we miss a shot usually because there are four other people crashing the boards,” senior Zoë Unruh said. “But that’s one thing they really took away from us.”

Despite posting significantly better numbers in the second half, scoring 35 points on 40 percent shooting, the Bears never got within 12 points of the Yellowjackets. Time ran out, and the Bears had suffered their first loss in the conference since over a year ago on the same court.

Despite the loss, the Red and Green received solid performances from the bench. Junior Hannah Cusworth set a career high with 12 points, and sophomore Claire Schaeperkoetter tied hers with 11 while shooting 3 of 4 from three-point range. Graduate student Jaimie McFarlin led the team with 10 rebounds.

The team bounced back in a close contest against Emory on Sunday. Though the contest opened up the same way as the previous Friday’s, with the Bears trailing by as much as 13 points in the first half, the team fought back and had the contest tied at the break. Unruh came alive just in time, with 15 of her career-high 25 points coming in the first half. She also grabbed 10 rebounds.

“Zoë’s such a capable shooter,” Fahey said. “I just think as a senior that day you could see in her eyes that she would keep her own confidence going.”

Unruh continued her surge with 10 more in the second half, while McFarlin chipped in 10 of her 12 points. They led the Bears on a 24-3 run that spanned nearly 10 minutes of the half and put the game away.

“One thing I felt was that we can’t lose twice in one weekend. That’s just not acceptable,” Unruh said. “Down 13, we decided this was not happening again. That loss from Rochester really gave us the fire we needed to win Sunday.”

Despite their first loss in over two months, the Bears aren’t too worried about their abilities, and they’ve got a chance at some much-desired payback this upcoming weekend.

“I think that this loss is really going to provide us with some momentum,” Unruh said. “The loss is still fresh in our minds and we’ll remember how we felt.”

The Red and Green get another shot at these same two teams, as they take on Rochester at 6 p.m. Friday at the Wash. U. Field House, followed by Emory at 1 p.m. Sunday.

Junior Kathryn Berger moves around a Rhodes College defender in a game on Nov. 29. Berger recorded 13 points and 10 rebounds in Washington University’s 64-57 victory over Carnegie Mellon University on Sunday. (Matt Mitgang | Student Life)

Facing a pair of road games for the first time in over a month, and a pair of close contests for the first time in two, the Washington University women’s basketball team held its ground once again.

The Bears broke away in the second half of both contests and won their first two University Athletic Association road matches of the season, defeating Case Western Reserve University 65-57 in Cleveland on Friday and then taking out Carnegie Mellon 64-57 on Sunday in Pittsburgh.

“It’s great to hit the road and play a couple of teams that were consistent with the physical and scrappy UAA style,” graduate student co-captain Jaimie McFarlin said.

After winning 11 straight games by an average of over 25 points per game, the Bears had to grind out two of their closest wins of the season, as neither of these contests was in hand until late in the game.

“The UAA is very competitive, and all of the teams are bringing their A game,” junior Kathryn Berger said. “I think it’s beneficial to have a team that plays these close games because you know how to win. Coach Fahey is a great coach, and she knows how to handle these situations.”

The women found themselves in battle from the outset against Case, as the contest went back and forth in the early going. The Bears never had a sizeable lead until going up 26-15 with 5:33 left in the first half. Case came back at the Red and Green with their own run that brought the Bears’ lead down to 31-30 at the half.

Case opened up the second half with five straight points to put Wash. U. down 35-31. Facing their first second-half deficit since their lone loss to Illinois-Wesleyan on Nov. 21, the Bears turned it up. Berger and junior Alex Hoover scored the next 11 points for Wash. U. and the Bears put together a 22-4 run to go up 53-39.

The Bears controlled the game from there and held off a late attempt from the home Spartans, who got as close as 61-54 with 1:56 left. Four free throws in the final two minutes by McFarlin, who finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds, put the game out of reach.

“We pulled away by getting stops,” McFarlin said, “since we don’t have to worry about going against a defense that’s set.”

In Sunday’s contest, the Carnegie Mellon Tartans withstood an early run that had the Bears up by 14-4 halfway through the first half and fought to a 31-24 lead at the break. However, CMU cut the Bears’ lead down to 37-35 with 15 minutes left in the game.

With the lead down to a single point at 50-49 with 8:13, the Bears missed four consecutive free throws and gave the Tartans a chance for the lead. On the ensuing CMU possession, Hoover had a key block and the Bears scored the next six points to go ahead 56-49. The Red and Green made eight free throws the rest of the way, and held on, despite not scoring a field goal in the final 5:43.

McFarlin put together her third straight double-double, with 12 rebounds to go along with 10 points, all of which came in the second half. Berger also threw in 13 points and 10 rebounds, while sophomore Bethany Morrison had six assists and eight points.

The wins were the 12th and 13th in a row for Wash. U., which improved to 15-1 overall and 5-0 in UAA play. The Bears play the latter half of their four game road trip this upcoming weekend, when they will face University of Rochester in Rochester, N.Y., on Friday and Emory University in Atlanta on Sunday.

“We like the change of pace,” Berger said. “It’s nice to get out and travel a little bit.”

Senior Zoë Unruh, seen here in a Nov. 29 game against Rhodes College, led the Lady Bears to a 67-57 victory against Brandeis University on Friday. With seven wins over winter break, the team improved to 13-1 on the season and extended its win streak to 11. (Matt Mitgang | Student Life)

After a strong showing in its non-conference play, the No. 3 Washington University women’s basketball team began University Athletic Association play on the right note, taking out its first three opponents to run its season record to 13-1.

The Bears opened UAA play on Jan. 9 with a strangling 63-34 win against the University of Chicago, and followed up the next weekend with a 67-57 win against Brandeis University on Jan. 15 and a 70-50 win against New York University on Jan. 17.

The wins added to a streak that currently stands at 11 straight for the team.

“Having a good start in UAA is crucial, so it was really big that we took these three games,” senior Zoë Unruh said.

In the first game, the Bears’ defense locked down Chicago, forcing 29 turnovers and holding the visiting Maroons to a 22-percent field goal percentage. Graduate student Jaimie McFarlin led the way, recording eight rebounds, five blocks and three steals in addition to her 14 points.

Against Brandeis, five different players scored in double figures for the Bears, who jumped ahead 8-0 to start the game and never looked back. Unruh was the leading scorer with 15 points, while McFarlin added 13 and senior Janice Evans pitched in 12.

Wash. U. relied on another strong defensive effort against NYU. Midway through the first half, the Violets were held to a scoreless seven-minute stretch, helping the Bears jump ahead en route to another win in their final contest of the weekend.

“However you start, you want to be playing to your potential,” head coach Nancy Fahey said. “I think we all knew we should have a good start. We were trying to live up to some expectations, and that led to the kind of play we’ve been producing lately.

The Bears took advantage of 24 offensive rebounds, leading to 23 second-chance points. McFarlin’s double-double, with 12 points and 10 rebounds, was a key part of the team’s victory.

“Considering that NYU is one of the best rebounding teams in the UAA, it’s very helpful,” Evans said. “We knew we needed to beat them on the boards, and we did.”

The Bears will take their show on the road for the next four games. They face Case Western Reserve University on Friday, Jan. 22, in Cleveland, and Carnegie Mellon University on Sunday, Jan. 24, in Pittsburgh.

“We need to go on the road. It’s time,” Fahey said. “We need to experience a hostile environment. We need to prove that we can do it in different venues.”

Junior Kelsey Robb goes for a layup against Rhodes College. Robb scored in double figures in both contests this weekend. (Matt Mitgang | Student Life)

The No. 5 Washington University women’s basketball team continued its strong start to the 2009-10 campaign with a 77-60 victory over the Elmhurst College Blue Jays on Saturday in Chicago.

Coming off the bench, junior Kathryn Berger led the Bears with 15 points in 17 minutes. Junior Kelsey Robb recorded a team-high seven rebounds to go along with 14 points.

Three of the Bears’ starters—seniors Zoë Unruh and Janice Evans and graduate student Jaimie McFarlin—added 11 points each. Unruh and Evans both shot 4 for 6 from the field, while Evans matched Robb with seven rebounds.

“We tried to pound the ball inside more, and that was working with us,” junior guard Alex Hoover said.

With 77 points, the team put on its second-best offensive performance of the young season, and its 58.8 percent shooting was its best of the season to date.

“We executed really well,” Berger said. “They were shading out to the shooters, so we drove the ball inside, which worked out.”

After falling behind 2-0 on the first basket, the Red and Green scored nine straight points to jump out to an early lead. Elmhurst fought back and tied the game at 14, but six straight points, including two free throws each from McFarlin and Evans, put the Bears ahead with a lead that they would never relinquish.

Elmhurst, however, kept fighting. Thanks to a strong performance from senior forward Lyndsie Long, who scored the most of any opposing player yet this season with 24 points, the Blue Jays kept the game close through the entire first half. The Bears brought a 36-29 lead to the locker room but came out firing after the break, shooting 16 for 23 (69.6 percent). A 12-6 run to start the half, fueled by eight points from Unruh that included a pair of threes, forced Elmhurst to take a timeout. Four more points for the Bears out of the timeout created a 52-35 advantage and put them well on their way to the victory.

“It was an interesting game. It felt like a close game the whole time,” Hoover said. “They were a tough team. It wasn’t an easy win.”

Despite allowing the most points and highest field goal percentage (40 percent) that they have yet to an opposing team this season, the Bears were happy with their level of defensive play. “Overall I think we did well in doubling down because they have some really good players on their team,” Berger said. “We did the little things that make the game a lot better. It was all about gametime adjustments.”

The Bears’ win put them at a 6-1 mark for the year. The Red and Green face Fontbonne University on Wednesday, Dec. 9, with tip-off at 7 p.m. in Fontbonne’s gym.