Sophomore Jordan Rich drives to the basket in last weekend’s game against Rochester. (Bri Nitsberg | Student Life)

The Washington University women’s basketball team faced No. 1 New York University (NYU) Violets and Brandeis University Judges on Jan. 19 and 21. They fell to the Violets 56-67, but beat the Judges 83-48, snapping a three-game losing streak.

The Bears have been battling in the University Athletic Association (UAA), one of the most competitive conferences in NCAA Division III, for the past few weeks. Through five games, they have garnered two wins, one of which was against Brandeis, leaving them at a 2-3 UAA record and a 9-7 overall season record. 

After last weekend’s losses to Emory and Rochester, the Bears entered their games this past weekend hoping to improve their play. However, on Friday they faced their toughest challenge so far, the defending UAA champion Violets, who are ranked No. 1 in the country. Despite losing by 11, the Bears’ staunch defense held NYU to just 67 points, their second-lowest total of the season so far. 

NYU started the game strong on Friday evening, going on a 14-0 run. Seven minutes in, a layup by first-year Lexy Harris kicked off the Bears’ attempt to close the gap. However, at the end of the first quarter, NYU led WashU 17-4.

First-year guard Catherine Goodwin’s three-pointer, which cut the score gap to 12, started the second quarter for the Bears. Despite WashU’s persistence, it was not able to close the gap. Even though both teams scored 10 points in the quarter, the Violets ended the half with a 27-14 lead. 

Although NYU extended its lead to 43-24 in the first 5 minutes of the third quarter, the Bears were not deterred. They went on a 13-point run, cutting the deficit to a mere six points late in the third quarter. WashU’s spectacular defense kept NYU scoreless for over five minutes, while senior Jessica Brooks accounted for seven of the 13 points. Brooks’ performance has been critical for the Bears in UAA play, averaging a team-high 17.6 points per game against conference foes. 

“No one likes losing games, but we competed with the best team in the country on their home floor after a really slow first quarter. So, we are really proud of the growth we’ve made throughout the season,” Brooks said about the game against NYU. 

In the fourth quarter, the Bears pushed for a late comeback, as Brooks scored the last nine points of the game, but her effort was to no avail, as NYU held on for a 67-56 win. Brooks finished with 23 points, one shy of her season high.

Despite the loss, head coach Randi Henderson praised her team’s fighting spirit.

“I believe we are improving every day, and our team’s ability to fight back from being down shows [the] competitive resilience necessary for long-term success. I loved that in both games our team made necessary second-half adjustments to be even more competitive,” she said on the loss versus NYU. 

On Sunday, the Bears continued their UAA matchups in Massachusetts against the Brandeis University Judges. Sunday’s matchup saw the Bears redeem their UAA performance with a win, fueled by strong play from first-year Sidney Rogers. Rogers scored 20 points, in addition to career-highs in rebounds (6) and steals (4).

First-year Sidney Rogers is averaging 12.6 points per game in UAA play. (Bri Nitsberg | Student Life)

Unlike the NYU game, WashU’s offense got off to a hot start. Harris scored 8 points in the first 10 minutes, including 4 off of free throws. 

“I think that our performance this weekend reflected how we’ve been practicing this week — with a lot of energy, high effort, and focusing on fast starts,” Harris said after the game.

The Judges, however, managed to equalize the score at the last minute of the first quarter. With less than 5 seconds left, Rogers’ three-pointer ended the quarter and gave the Bears a 21-18 lead.

The second quarter continued to be back and forth between the Bears and the Judges, although the Bears went on a six-point scoring run midway through the quarter to establish a nine-point cushion. From there, the teams exchanged baskets for the next five minutes and ended the first half of the game at 40-30. 

At the start of the third quarter, the Bears pulled away. Harris continued her impressive performance, scoring four quick points to extend the Bears’ lead. Harris and fellow first-year guard Alyssa Hughes’ offensive play helped the Bears outscore the Judges 22-10 in the third quarter. 

The Bears continued their offensive prowess into the fourth quarter. Ultimately, their dominance of the second half led to a second UAA win, with a final score of 83–48.

“UAA weekends are always tough with traveling on Saturday and playing on Sunday, so being able to bounce back after Friday’s loss and beat Brandeis was a really good feeling for us,” Brooks said. “A lot of our own personal performance is so dependent on the team because we play so well together and have a unique chemistry that highlights the best parts of everyone’s game.”

Just like most of their season, the Bears’ win over Brandeis was led by critical performances from young players. Three out of their five starters —- Harris, Rogers, and Goodwin —- are first-year students, as are Hughes, Sydney Starks, and Amelia Rosin, all of whom logged at least 14 minutes against Brandeis. Through five games, Henderson’s young squad has gained critical UAA experience. 

“Every game and every practice is adding to our collective team experience. We are one of the youngest teams in our league in experience,” Henderson said. “We have learned a lot about ourselves, and we believe we can become [better] with each challenge, and every UAA game is a challenge…We have to continue to focus on getting better each day.” 

Harris, who is averaging a team-high 15.6 points on the season, pointed out a few areas the team will be looking to improve.

“Our goals for the upcoming games are to have fast starts to our game and play hard, with a lot of effort, for all four quarters. We also want to focus on our defensive intensity and taking the right shots that fit within each player’s strengths,” she said. 

The Bears are set to play Carnegie Mellon University and Case Western Reserve University on Jan. 26 and Jan. 28 in St. Louis as they continue the UAA competition.