Senior Jordan Rich and junior Lexy Harris battle for a rebound. (Bri Nitsberg | Managing Photo Editor)

Some basketball games are won by intense physicality — points in the paint, hard-earned rebounds — others by shooting behind the arc or tight defense. And over winter break, the No. 14 WashU women’s basketball team proved that they can do all three. 

The Bears defeated Westminster College on Dec. 8 and Augustana College on Dec. 19. WashU dominated against Westminster, defeating the Blue Jays 94-31 in their largest margin of victory this season. The Bears’ 82-54 victory over Augustana was a team effort, with four players reaching double-digit points.

From there, WashU swept their matchups against Southern Virginia University and Christopher Newport University in the St. Petersburg Tournament on Dec. 29-30 and defeated the No. 15 University of Chicago in a 68-39 defensive masterclass on Jan. 10. With these victories, the Bears improve to 10-2 on the season, boasting a current five-game winning streak.

WashU vs. Southern Virginia

After a close first quarter, the Bears found themselves down 15-22 versus Southern Virginia. But WashU battled back to take the lead with 5:24 remaining and stayed on top, 39-38 to end the first half.

“At halftime, we honed in on what specifically we wanted to do offensively and defensively,” junior guard Alyssa Hughes said. “We knew that to start that third quarter, we had to come out with energy in order to break away.” 

Midway through the third quarter, WashU held the Knights scoreless for over four minutes, allowing the Bears to take the lead, 57-49. WashU continued to dominate in the fourth quarter, leading by as many as 19 points before solidifying the 83-66 victory.

Junior forward Amelia Rosin tallied 17 points and 10 rebounds, both a career high and her first double-double, while Hughes led WashU with 22 points, shooting an impressive 6-11 behind the arc. 

But the Bears ultimately won the game through their physicality and close-range shooting, eclipsing the Knights in both points of turnovers (21-12) and points in the paint (44-20).

WashU vs. Christopher Newport

The Bears took on Christopher Newport the next day and continued to put on the pressure, exploding to 48 points in the first half. 

“It was a super short turnaround,” Hughes said prior to the game against Christopher Newport. “After the first game, [our recovery] was to get our feet up, get some rest, have a good dinner. So much of our prep was mental prep and having a great culture within our team.” 

While WashU led by as much as 19 during this stretch, a late 8-0 run by the Captains in the second quarter allowed them to cut the deficit to 48-35 at the half.

WashU hit a drought in the third quarter, shooting only 27.3% from the field. However, the Bears still maintained a strong defensive effort, outscoring the Captains 11-6.

Only one minute into the fourth quarter, the Bears retook their 19-point lead on a layup by junior center Lexy Harris. From there, WashU slowly edged ahead to take a 24-point advantage. While the Captains put up a late 5-0 run, the Bears still took the comfortable 72-53 victory.

Despite their struggles in the third quarter, the Bears put up a dominant performance, soundly defeating a solid CNU team. While the Captains kept up in the paint, the Bears shot an incredible 59.1% behind the arc, effectively sealing their victory. Hughes again led WashU with 24 points, while Harris and junior guard Sidney Rogers also put up double-digits. 

“Everyone has great belief in me, which helps me have that belief in myself,” Hughes said about her offensive consistency. “They are constantly telling me to shoot the ball, even when I just missed a shot. It’s always next play mentality, look at the next one.” 

WashU vs. UChicago

The first quarter against UChicago began exactly as advertised — a close matchup with the No. 14 Bears and No. 15 Maroons fighting for the lead. 

But the second quarter was all WashU. In an outstanding defensive effort, the Bears held UChicago scoreless for the first four minutes and only allowed 4 points in the entire quarter — the fewest all season. This defense allowed the Bears to take a commanding 36-20 lead at the half.

The teams traded baskets for much of the third quarter, and while the Maroons managed to cut their deficit to 12, WashU remained firmly in control, leading 51-34 at the whistle.

Despite an early 3-pointer by UChicago, the Bears continued the defensive pressure in the fourth quarter, holding the Maroons scoreless for over six minutes and preventing them from making another field goal. Meanwhile, WashU continued to build up their lead, ultimately securing the victory, 68-39.

WashU forced UChicago to shoot only 25.9% from the field, holding them to their lowest score since the 2019-2020 season. The Bears also converted defensive pressure into offensive success, leading in points off turnovers (14-3) and fast break points (9-3).

Harris and Hughes tallied 19 points each, with five other Bears contributing offensively.

“We have a great team as a whole,” Hughes said. “We all kind of know what each other’s strengths are, so we were able to utilize that in order to put our best foot forward. We have played very well off of each other.”

This game marked WashU’s first conference game, first conference win, and first victory against a ranked opponent this season. As UAA play continues, the Bears will face Carnegie Mellon University on Jan. 16 and Case Western Reserve University on Jan. 18.