The Washington University men’s basketball team closed out its season at the Field House, beating rival University of Chicago 81-63, while honoring its lone senior, center Marcus Meyer, along with senior all-purpose personnel Andrew Sweren. The victory was the Bears’ third straight, moving their record to 17-8 in ending the schedule on a high note.

Grace Bruton | Student Life

Marcus Meyer, the lone senior on the men’s basketball roster, takes a jump shot against Chicago on Senior Day, Feb. 23.

Meyer, a Lee’s Summit, Mo. native, helped Wash. U. add 75 wins to its ledger throughout his four years, good for a .728 winning percentage during his career. Meyer totaled 342 points, 227 rebounds and 46 blocks in 96 contests while shooting 53.7 percent from the field. Head coach Pat Juckem gave Meyer the start in his final send-off, after Meyer lost his starting job early this year.

Following the opening tipoff won by Meyer, junior guard Matt Nester converted a second-chance three to give Wash. U. the first points of the game. Chicago promptly went on an 8-0 run, foreshadowing a fun rest of the first half, in which the lead was exchanged seven times. Despite this constant back-and-forth, Wash. U. ended up slightly ahead by the half’s conclusion, bringing a two-point advantage into the locker room.

The next half started off with a bang for Wash. U., as sophomore guard Jack Nolan quickly stole the ball and made a layup plus the free throw. On the very next possession, Nolan did it again, forcing another turnover and taking it the other way for two Red and Green points. Nolan would finish with a game-high 26 points.

After the initial energy boost, Wash. U. used the positive momentum to expand the lead to as much as 19 with three minutes to go in the second half. Chicago couldn’t muster much of a comeback, as the combined forces of Nolan and junior center Hank Hunter paved the way for Wash. U.’s relatively seamless offense throughout the rest of the game. The Bears closed out the Maroons with a double-digit margin, 81-63.

Grace Bruton | Student Life

Justin Hardy throws down an alley-oop from sophomore guard Jack Nolan against the University of Chicago, Feb. 23.

Three Bears joined Nolan in double digits, with Hunter, Nester and freshman forward Justin Hardy all surpassing 10 points. As a team, Wash. U. shot 53.3 percent from the field, outrebounded Chicago by nine, had 20 total assists, scored 20 points off of Chicago’s 12 turnovers and had a massive contribution of scoring from the paint with 42 coming from close range. With the victory, the Red and Green broke a short two-game losing streak against the Maroons and now hold an overall 52-23 record against Chicago.

Wash. U. finishes the season tied for second in the UAA with the University of Rochester behind Emory University. The NCAA Division III Selection Show will take place today at 11:30 a.m.