The Bears ripped through the Beaver dam as Washington University let loose a torrent of points in Tuesday night’s 82-36 victory over Blackburn College.
After coming off a rough 1-1 weekend, the Bears emerged victorious in the 2007-2008 season home opener.
The women’s basketball team swiftly built up a solid lead in the first half while holding off the Blackburn Beavers. In the latter portion of the first half, the Bears sprinted to a 24-point advantage.
Entering the second half with a score of 46-24 in favor of Wash. U., the Red and Green continued to dominate. The offense stepped up sprinting to add another 21 points in the first ten minutes of the second half to the board despite a change in defense by the Beavers. “The team responded well to the change in defense,” said Head Coach Nancy Fahey. “We played much better to our instincts.”
It was with 9:54 left in the second half when the Beavers finally responded to the assault with a field goal as the Bear defense held them scoreless.
The Beavers attempted to increase the pressure by trapping Bears at half court but the Red and Green broke through quickly passing the ball around. The rapid passing and spreading of the court allowed for many open lanes from where Wash. U. could make more points.
With such a large lead, all the players on the bench saw some playing time, which allowed for the team to work on getting better.
For several of the Bears, it was the first time they had played at a game in the Field House. “I like how the fans get into it,” said freshman forward Kathryn Berger.
The Bears will now enter the Seventh Annual McWilliams Classic, which is hosted by Washington University in the Field House with a 2-1 record.
They will compete with Kenyon College with tip-off scheduled for 3 p.m.
The winner of this game will play against the winner of the Luther College and Carleton College match at the title game scheduled on Sunday at 3 p.m. The consolation game is set to begin at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
“The McWilliams Classic is definitely not an easy tournament,” said junior forward Jaimie McFarlin. “It’s just as challenging at home than away.”