BLOOMINGTON, ILL. – The Washington University women’s basketball team excelled at both the offensive and defensive ends of the floor to earn a trip to the national championship game of the 2011 Division III NCAA Women’s Basketball Championships on Friday night.

For those of us with siblings, we could characterize our relationships with them as “love-hate.” Sometimes, it’s a “what have you done for me lately?” attitude. But for the Washington University women’s basketball team, senior Alex Hoover and her younger sister, junior Dani Hoover, it’s different.

A week after ending DePauw University’s 50-game home winning streak, the Washington University women’s basketball team came back to its own home court – a place where the Bears have their own streak that certainly is nothing to scoff at.

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — After a third appearance in the championship game in four years, Jaimie McFarlin and the veteran Washington University women’s basketball team would not be denied. “Even when I was shooting those last free throws, I was thinking [that] it’s still not over,” McFarlin said. “I just couldn’t believe it until the confetti started falling, and it was real confetti, not the confetti in my dreams.

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — After a third appearance in the championship game in four years, Jaimie McFarlin and the veteran Washington University women’s basketball team would not be denied. “Even when I was shooting those last free throws, I was thinking [that] it’s still not over.”

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.

This weekend was for the Washington University women’s basketball team’s seniors. Although Stacey Niese, Zoë Unruh, Janice Evans and graduate student Jaimie McFarlin were the ones who were honored before Friday night’s game, there were plenty of points to go around come gametime.

After falling 61-53 at the University of Rochester for their first conference loss of the season, the Washington University women’s basketball team was back home this weekend—and they had little trouble returning the favor. In both of the weekend’s games, the Bears grabbed control early on and never gave up the lead.

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.

Washington University’s women’s basketball team never trailed and saw 16 players score in its 81-42 thrashing of Concordia University (Ill.) to begin the 2008-2009 season.