Junior Ryan Cohen goes for a layup against two Emory defenders. The Bears’ bench wore shirts honoring the HardyStrong Foundation on Friday. (Bri Nitsberg | Managing Photo Editor)

After a rough start to conference play, the WashU men’s basketball team came back big with a win against No. 1 Emory University on Friday, Jan 30. And if beating the best team in the nation at home wasn’t energizing enough, the game was also dedicated to former WashU basketball player Justin Hardy, who tragically passed away after a fight with cancer during his senior season in 2022. 

“[This game] is an opportunity for us to, I think, to retell, to tell the story, to open up a whole new group of people to this amazing WashU kid in Justin,” head coach Pat Juckem said. “That’s the really cool opportunity we have, and so this game was meaningful in so many ways.”

The 2025-26 season has proved to be tumultuous for the Bears so far. Going into University Athletic Association (UAA) play, the Bears had a record of 10-1 and were the No. 5 team in the nation. But over the past three weeks, the Bears racked up four losses to UAA teams, making their conference record 1-4. With the determination to get back on track, the Bears focused on Emory, the top team in Division III entering play.

“We put our heads down,” junior guard Ryan Cohen said. “We believe in each other so much. We have so much confidence in our coaches and our players.”

Full of determination, the Bears stormed into the game and developed a large lead of 17-5 in just the first five minutes. They left the first half leading 37-32. The Eagles were stunned, and the game turned incredibly physical, with the Eagles receiving numerous technical fouls that swung the momentum further in favor of the Bears.

“I think you saw two very prideful teams, and sometimes the emotions get the best of you.” Juckem said. “Emotion can be a good thing if you’ve got it channeled, but it can also lead you to a place where you cross over and run disciplined and make emotional decisions.”

Cohen took the shots for all of WashU’s technical free throws. He went 9-12 at the free throw line and led the team in scoring, racking up 24 points.

“I work so hard on my game, and I’m always ready to shoot the ball,” Cohen said. “I have the best teammates in the world who can find me, and they trust me so much. So I do it for them.”

Ultimately, WashU was the better team. The Bears shot 50% from the field in the game, thanks to a second half in which they had a 71.4% shooting percentage. Sophomore forwards Connor May and Anthony Przybilla both played large roles in scoring, adding 19 and 13 points, respectively, to the Bears’ final score. Additionally, first-year guards Josh Kim and Theo Rocca played significant amounts of time on the court, with Rocca tacking on 8 points to the Bears’ lead.

“I thought the leadership of our team grew this week,” Juckem said. “I thought our young players became older players. Our older players started to really understand what it means to be [a leader], that it’s not just when things are going great.”

The Bears maintained a large lead against the Eagles and won the matchup with a final score of 89-74. WashU had beaten the number one team in the nation. But this win went much deeper than conference records and national standings. This was a win in honor of one of the best WashU basketball players to come out of the program: Justin Hardy.

Hardy played for the Bears from 2018-2022. After a 13-month battle with Stage IV stomach cancer, Hardy passed on May 29, 2022. However, despite undergoing intense treatment during his senior year, Hardy continued to fight to play the sport he loved. His heart and his passion during his seasons at WashU deeply inspired the athletics community and beyond.

“We play for him. Everything we do is through him, and he energizes us. He gives us belief.” Cohen said.

Before the start of the game, graduate student guard Kyle Beedon spoke to the people in the Field House about his former teammate and the wonderful impact Hardy had on the people around him. Beedon is the last current player to have played with Hardy, but the team continues to maintain their connection to him and pass down his legacy.

“We [are] entering into a new phase of this where all of our students and now all of our players, save for Kyle, [never met Hardy],” Juckem said. “It’s a story they’ve heard about, but they weren’t here to see it firsthand, the emotional, miraculous embodiment of all the right things that Justin was.” 

With this win, the Bears face the University of Rochester at home on Sunday, Feb. 1, at 2:00pm. The team looks to the future games with hope, heart, and Hardy’s legacy. 

“We love Justin, and this one was for him,” Cohen said. “He wouldn’t have wanted anything more than if we had won tonight. So we’re thankful for him.”