Junior Nailah McBeth takes a shot in a win over Wisconsin Lutheran last week. (Brandon Juarez-Ramos | Contributing Photographer)

In the Midwest Challenge tournament on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1, the No. 11 WashU women’s basketball team left the Field House with two very different results. 

On one hand, the Bears handily defeated the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology 105-54 in the tournament opener. Before the 2024-25 season, the No. 11 WashU women’s basketball team hadn’t scored more than 100 points in regulation since a 2018 thrashing of Blackburn College. So far this season, WashU has eclipsed the century mark twice. 

However, WashU left the weekend with their first loss of the season — a 67-59 defeat at the hands of No. 4 Illinois Wesleyan University. In the loss, WashU was unable to overcome their early miscues, committing 23 turnovers and shooting just 15.8% from three-point range. 

WashU now sits at 5-1 on the young season, and is ranked No. 11 in the D3Hoops.com poll for the second straight week. In the game against Illinois Wesleyan, the Bears have shown that they can contend with the best teams in Division III, but still lack a statement victory against a ranked opponent. 

“I don’t like to lose, but [Illinois Wesleyan] is not a bad loss,” head coach Lisa Stone said. “But only if we learn from it, get better, and not let it happen again.” 

WashU vs. Rose-Hulman

The Bears started the weekend with a statement victory over Rose-Hulman, defeating the Fightin’ Engineers 105-54. Four WashU players recorded double-digit point totals in the win, with first-year guard Hope Drake leading the team with 19 points. 

WashU dominated long-range shots, converting 14 three-point tries to Rose-Hulman’s three. Drake led the way, shooting 5-5 from three-point range. Against Rose-Hulman, the Bears shot 56% from long-range.

“It means the world to me that my teammates trust me and my coach believed in me,” Drake said. “It was all-around a great team win [against Rose-Hulman], and it’s been an amazing start to my college career.” 

Sophomore center Lexy Harris, the team’s leading scorer, missed the game with an illness. In Harris’ absence, the Bears used their full rotation to dominate the Fightin’ Engineers. Behind Drake, junior Jordan Rich and sophomores Sidney Rogers and Alyssa Hughes contributed 13 points each; graduate student guard Jessica Brooks and junior forward Nailah McBeth led the team in rebounds. WashU scored 56 of its points off of the bench in the win. 

“Without Lexy [Harris], Nailah [McBeth] stepped up, [sophomore forward] Amelia [Rosin] stepped up, and [first-year forward] CeCe [O’Grady] got into the game,” Stone said. “It was an opportunity to be able to get our freshmen quality minutes, and they did an awesome job.” 

In their five wins this year, WashU has out-scored their opponents 464-248 — nearly doubling their opponents’ point totals. 

WashU vs. Illinois Wesleyan

The Bears couldn’t keep up their momentum in their loss to Illinois Wesleyan, however. The Titans came on top in the battle of two of the top teams in the nation, taking advantage of WashU’s miscues. 

Less than 30 seconds into the game, Illinois Wesleyan guard Lauren Huber scored a layup in the paint for the game’s first basket. The ensuing 2-0 deficit was the first time the entire season that WashU had trailed, setting the scene for a frustrating game against the Titans. 

At halftime, WashU had a narrow 30-24 advantage. However, the Titans pulled away in the third quarter, outscoring the Bears 25-16.  

“Coach says the first team to adjust to the game, typically wins the game,” Drake said. “We saw the pressure that Illinois Wesleyan gave us, and looking ahead, we need to learn from the lessons we learned from them.” 

In a battle of two of Division III’s premier defenses, missed shots and turnovers proved the difference between the two teams. Both WashU and Illinois Wesleyan shot 40% from the field, but the Titans made eight three-pointers compared to three for the Bears. The Titans scored 19 points off of 23 Bears turnovers. 

“It wasn’t just the press, it was the pressure,” Stone said. “The constant pressure from a veteran defensive squad exposed our areas of weakness, and that’s okay, because we kept fighting.” 

Sitting at 5-1, the loss to Illinois Wesleyan marked the Bears’ only non-conference matchup against a ranked team. WashU will finish its non-conference schedule this month, next traveling to face the University of Wisconsin–Platteville on Saturday, Dec. 7. WashU will then play away games at nearby Fontbonne University and Greenville University, before traveling to San Juan, Puerto Rico to face Dickinson College and Bridgewater State University over winter break. 

“Our team is pumped for the next game and the next challenge,” Drake said. “We’ve been working hard in practice with our press and focusing on areas we can definitely improve in.”