Junior Drake Kindsvater takes a contested shot in a Nov. 18 matchup against Hanover College. (Elle Su | Student Life)

In a weekend that saw No. 17 Washington University men’s basketball defeat Fontbonne University 96-75 and Principia College 90-56, the Bears’ roster depth shined. Players outside of the starting five contributed a combined 95 points off of the bench across the two games played on Dec. 16 and Dec. 17.

“We talk about being a team of 25 strong — all of our players, coaches, … each one of our guys is a vital part of what we are doing,” Head Coach Pat Juckem said postgame.

While having to play back-to-back games in the middle of WashU finals season is no easy feat, the Bears’ performances over the weekend showed that the busy period did not limit their abilities on the court. While the team was forced to shorten practice time during finals week, they emphasized the importance of being present at practice to maximize their time together.

“We also say, ‘Hey, when you come in — in this facility, in this building, on this wood — this is your time to leave everything else behind you, the chance just to go and play the game you love and compete and do it with guys that you love to do it with,’” Juckem said about the team’s mentality during practices.

With two more wins, the Bears advance to 9-1 on the season and will be riding a five-game winning streak when they return to the court against Wabash College on Dec. 30 before beginning conference play at the University of Chicago on Jan. 6.

WashU vs. Fontbonne University

After their opponents completed the short four-minute drive from the Fontbonne campus to the WashU Athletic Center on Dec. 16, the Bears wasted little time in jumping out ahead of their visitors. Though Fontbonne scored the game’s first bucket, its 2-0 margin would end up being its only lead of the game. With 17:08 left in the first half, the Bears took a 3-2 lead and never looked back, beating the Griffins 96-75 for WashU’s 17th-straight win in the Wydown Showdown, as WashU sports broadcaster Jay Murry labeled the matchup.

The Bears rode their early lead throughout the first half and went into the break with a score of 47-32. In the second half, they kept up the strong scoring effort. When the final buzzer sounded, the Bears had 96 points, equalling last season’s single-game high.

The offensive outburst was led by 19 points and six rebounds from junior Drake Kindsvater. The Texas native has been an offensive force for the Bears, averaging 15.6 points per game in the Bears’ 2023-2024 campaign.

Offensive efficiency was a strength for the Bears — they shot 33/60 (55.0%) from the field and 11/27 (40.7%) from three-point range throughout the game. Juniors Hayden Doyle and Kyle Beedon led the team with three three-pointers apiece.

The Bears’ athleticism and physicality showed throughout the matchup, as they beat the Griffins 21-7 on fast break points, 17-4 on second-chance points, and 32-10 on points off turnovers. In addition, the Bears out-rebounded the Griffins 32-21.

Juckem credited the Bears’ success — against what he described as a really good Fontbonne team — to their offense.

“I really liked the stuff we did offensively — that we were really unselfish, and the ball moved,” he said.

WashU’s depth showed throughout the game, with 15 Bears finding the court. Players off of the bench, led by Beedon’s 11, contributed 40 of the squad’s 96 points.

WashU vs. Principia College

During the first nine games of his first season at WashU, first-year guard Lucas Vogel played just 10 minutes, tallying three points. In his third appearance for the Bears, their matchup against the Principia Panthers, Vogel made his time on the court count. In 19 minutes on the hardwood, the California native set career highs in points (23 — the joint-highest single-game mark by any player on the team this season), rebounds (4), assists (2), and steals (2), leading the Bears to a dominant 90-56 victory.

Just as it had against Fontbonne, the Bears’ bench, led by Vogel, proved a formidable force. During Sunday’s game against Principia, players off of the bench combined for 55 points, just one point shy of Principia’s team total of 56 points.

“We have quality throughout our entire roster,” Juckem said. “And so if you see our practices, you see the quality competition that goes on — even the guys that are not in rotation, they take the roles very seriously in our practices. So we’re not surprised; in fact, that’s just our expectation.”

Another hallmark of the Bears’ game was their physicality, as they recorded 45 rebounds, 22 of which came on the offensive end; 27 second-chance points; and 22 points off of turnovers.

While the Bears were less efficient than the day before, going 37-77 (48.1%) from the field and 14-42 (33.3%) from beyond the arc, Juckem complimented his team’s ability to turn missed shots into scoring opportunities.

“Our identity is a couple of things, you know — we want to play with great activity, great energy. We need to be a team that is a dominant team, you know, on the glass — meaning we’re getting ourselves extra shots,” Juckem said.  

Going into the break, Juckem hopes the team will use the time to reflect on what they have learned throughout the season. 

“We’re just in a mode constantly where we want to learn and apply, learn and apply, learn and apply,” he said. “So we said, ‘Take some time to just put some reflection into that.’”

When the team returns in late December, they will have one final tune-up before entering a 14-game stretch of conference play in the University Athletic Association (UAA), a conference that has four teams ranked in the National Top 25. 

“This comes at a great time for them to heal up a little bit but also reset and get ready for a really really fun UAA tournament,” he said.