While most Washington University students spent the three week break relaxing with family and friends at home, the No. 3 Washington University men’s basketball team played four games, winning three.

On Dec. 19, the University took on Eureka University in the opening round of the Elmhurst Bluejay Classic. Junior guard Aaron Thompson lead the team with 13 points while four additional Bears scored in double-figures in the 95-72 blowout. Wash. U. shot a season-best 62.3 field goal percentage, hitting 10 three-pointers.

In the championship game of the tournament against No. 10 Elmhurst University, the Bears fell for the first time this season, 82-75. Thompson scored 18 points for the game but was 0-4 in three-point attempts. The Bears as a whole suffered from beyond the arc, managing a season-low 21.4 (3-14) three-point field goal percentage. Elmhurst, on the other hand, hit exactly half of their three-pointers (9-18) and never trailed.

Though they never led in the contest, the Bears were able to keep the Bluejays’ lead manageable for most of the game, cutting the deficit to as little as four on five occasions in the final seven minutes. The loss ended a 15-game win streak dating back to last season and a 22-game non-conference winning streak.

“Take it for what it’s worth. It was definitely humbling going into the break, which is a good thing. We went up against a team that played really well on their home court. Going through the video tape, we saw some things we could improve on individually and collectively as a team, most importantly our team defense. It has been an area of focus since we’ve been back from break,” senior captain Tyler Nading said.

Wash. U. bounced back strongly after its first defeat and a 15-day break with a 68-55 win over Webster University on Jan. 5. Thompson continued his stellar play, leading the team with 14 points, while junior Cameron Smith and freshman Alex Toth also scored in double figures. Webster did not score until 14:17 left in the first half, and by halftime, the Bears had built a comfortable 22-point lead.

This past Saturday, the Bears took on the winless defending UAA champions University of Chicago (0-12, 0-1) in their University Athletics Association (UAA) opener, winning 74-62.

Connecting on seven of its first eight shots, Wash. U. got ahead early, 18-11. The Maroons kept in the game with their long-range shots. Averaging only eight three-pointers a game, Chicago had nine in the first half alone. Adam Machones went 4-4 from three-point range, keeping his team in the game. He finished with 16 points.

Even with an astounding 70.4 percent field goal percentage in the first half, the Bears only managed to take a six point lead into the locker room.

In the second half, the Maroons were able to cut the lead to only two points, 56-54, with 12:33 left in the game. Wash. U. responded with an 11-2 run, putting the game out of reach on Thompson’s third three-pointer of the half. Chicago was held without a field goal for the rest of the game, securing the victory for the Bears.

“In the first half, we had some trouble with their penetration. Once our man got by us, the first rotation was good, but they’d kick it out. We were slow getting back out, and they’d just knock down open threes. In the second half, we did a lot better job of staying in front of our man,” Smith said.

Smith and freshman Dylan Richter each had 13 points, while Thompson added 11. Senior Sean Wallis had a game-high 11 assists.

Washington University (11-1, 1-0 UAA) takes on Case Western Reserve University (3-8, 1-0 UAA) on Friday, Jan. 16 at the Field House. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. Wash. U. then finishes the weekend with rival Emory University Sunday at 11 a.m.

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Tags: Men's Basketball, uaa

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 14th, 2009 at 5:56 pm and is filed under Men's Basketball, Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through this feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.