Sophomore Sidney Rogers inbounds a ball in a game against UChicago on Jan. 12. (Sam Powers | Managing Sports Editor)

Coming off of two wins for their last home games of the season against the University of Rochester and Emory University, the WashU women’s basketball team fell 65-55 to the University of Chicago in their final game of the season.

On Saturday, the beginning of the first quarter was very tight, with both teams trading points. Although WashU had a run of points, the Maroons answered with another run immediately after. The first quarter ended with the Maroons just barely up 11-10.

The Maroons increased their lead in the second quarter, getting up to a double-digit lead midway through the quarter until the Bears began chipping away at it. The Bears brought the deficit down to five, which was possible due to an “and-one” play by junior forward Nailah McBeth. A quick run by the Maroons, including a jumper and a three-pointer, caused the Maroons’ lead to go back to 10 as the first half ended.

The third quarter went back-and-forth, with each team trading points. Later in the quarter, the Bears went on a 9-0 run to cut the lead further. The run started with a layup from sophomore guard Sidney Rodgers and ended with a jumper from her. The third quarter ended with the Bears only down by two points, with a score of 43-41 going into the fourth quarter.

The Bears made the game very close in the fourth quarter. With five minutes left, a layup by fifth-year guard Jessica Brooks cut the Maroons’ lead to only three points. The lead was later cut down to only two points by an “and-one” play by sophomore center Lexy Harris. The Bears were forced to foul at the end of the game in an attempt to win the game. However, the Maroons made all six of their free throw attempts in the last minute of the game, causing them to win 65-55.

The Bears were led by Harris, who contributed 17 points and seven rebounds. Aside from Harris, Rogers and McBeth added 15 and 10 points, respectively. Brooks contributed a game-high nine rebounds. 

Despite WashU outsourcing UChicago in the paint 34-20, their rebounding and free throw struggles ultimately cost them the win. “Particularly in the first half, we were 3-10 from the free throw line and down 10 points,” Rogers said. “Just making those free throws and getting a few more offensive rebounds would have given us more opportunities to score and put us in a better position going into the second half.”

WashU ends the 2025-2026 season with a 16-9 record overall and a 0.500 record in conference play.