Catherine Goodwin drives against a UChicago defender (Isabella Diaz-Mira | Student Life)

Following a dominant win against Brandeis, the Washington University women’s basketball team needed to close its season with a big win against University Athletic Association (UAA) foe University of Chicago to secure its at-large spot in the NCAA tournament.

Entering their game on Saturday, Feb. 24, the Bears knew what was at stake. “Coach told us that it was a big game all week, and we prepped like it was. Since we don’t have a conference tournament, we made our game against Brandeis and then this game, our conference tournament, and knew that if we win we have a good chance of making the postseason,” senior guard Jessica Brooks, the UAA’s leading scorer in conference play, said. 

The Bears did their part, defeating UChicago 75-58. When asked how she was feeling about their NCAA chances after the win, Brooks said she was “feeling excited.”

“We’re not locked in for sure. But our strength of schedule is really good. We have some really good wins. And yeah, I’m excited. I’m hopeful. I’m optimistic,” Brooks said.

Brooks’ optimism was rewarded on Monday, as it was announced that the Bears would travel to Waukesha, Wisconsin to face off against the University of Wisconsin-Stout on Friday, March 1 in the first round of the NCAA tournament. 

The first quarter was a back-and-forth affair, with both teams going on prolonged runs. The Bears kicked things off by taking an early 9-5 lead, but then UChicago came right back with a 7-0 run. WashU scored the final seven points of the quarter to end the first with a 16-14 advantage. 

Despite ending the quarter with a lead, the Bears were disappointed with their play.

“We were unhappy with how we played in the first quarter, but we definitely knew that we could be better guarding their actions and making them put the ball on the floor instead of getting such open looks from the three,” Brooks said. “ So we took a second after the first quarter to kind of reset and make the choice of what kind of basketball we wanted to play.”

That reset proved crucial as the Bears dominated UChicago 16-5 in the second quarter. The second quarter was filled with run after run for the Bears, as they first went on a 7-0 run to begin the quarter and then promptly went on another run, scoring nine straight points. This stifling defense allowed the Bears to extend their lead to 13 heading into the half.

Lexi Harris finishes through contact (Isabella Diaz-Mira | Student Life)

UChicago would not go down without a fight, as they also needed a win to have a chance at making the postseason. In the third, the Maroons bounced back, cutting the Bears’ lead down to single digits. The Bears, however, stayed steady, going on a run to extend their lead to 17 midway through the period, putting the pressure back on UChicago. The Bears held on to a 10-point lead heading into the fourth and final quarter of play.

The Maroons continued to battle back, embarking on a 6-0 run in the middle of the fourth to cut the Bears’ lead down to six. But the Bears hit a number of crucial threes and free throws down the stretch to help ice the game. WashU ended up winning the game by a comfortable 17 points, with a final score of 75-58.

The Bears demonstrated their offensive balance and depth as their bench outscored the Maroons’ bench 37-5. First-year Lexy Harris led the way for the Bears with 21 points, while Brooks and first-year Catherine Goodwin had 11. First-year Sidney Rogers added nine points. 

With the win over UChicago, the Bears wrap up their season at 17-8 after an impressive 10-4 in UAA play. The Bears won nine out of their last 10 games to finish second in the UAA, behind undefeated New York University, the top-ranked team in the nation. After fighting their way into the playoffs with wins over elite competition, the Bears will look to continue their momentum into the postseason.

They will return to the court against the University of Wisconsin-Stout in a win-or-go-home game on Friday, March 1 at 5:30 p.m.