Junior Sidney Rogers takes a shot against Emory. (Mac Motz | Photo Editor)

When the final buzzer sounded in the No. 15 WashU women’s basketball team’s victory over the University of Rochester on Feb. 1, the Bears achieved what is arguably the hardest feat to complete in their regular season — they swept a weekend series against University Athletic Association (UAA) opponents.

After defeating Rochester and No. 23 Emory University, the Bears are crafting a strong resume to return to the NCAA tournament for the first time under head coach Lisa Stone’s leadership. 

“Every single game in the UAA is a prize fight,” Stone said after the Bears defeated Rochester. “Everyone can beat everybody, any time. And it’s just been an amazing week.” 

WashU vs. Emory

WashU first defeated No. 18 Emory 67-56 on Jan. 30. Before the game, the Bears honored the late men’s basketball alumnus Justin Hardy, who lost his tragic battle with cancer in 2022. Junior Alyssa Hughes, who received a scholarship to play at WashU from the HardyStrong Foundation, spoke about Hardy’s legacy before the game, and the WashU bench donned HardyStrong shirts throughout the game. 

“It was huge that we could dedicate ourselves to playing like Justin Hardy played,” Stone said. “He left his sweat and his tears on the court. He was gritty, and we tried to be like that today.” 

The Eagles got off to a hot start, outscoring WashU 20-14 in the first quarter. The Bears battled back to tie the game at 30 by halftime, largely thanks to junior center Lexy Harris. Harris scored 20 of the Bears’ 30 points in the first half, with the Emory defense largely able to shut down Hughes and junior guard Sidney Rogers from beyond the perimeter. 

In the second half, a strong WashU defense prevented Emory from taking advantage of their opportunities. The Eagles shot just 36% from the field, and the WashU defense held Emory to convert just four of their 23 3-point attempts. Harris dominated the boards, recording a double-double in the win. Rogers ultimately scored 14 points, and WashU benefitted from strong defensive performances from senior forward Jordan Rich and junior guards Catherine Goodwin and Sydney Starks. 

“With Lexy [Harris] having 20 of our 30 points at halftime, we knew we had to make an adjustment,” Stone said. “Thank goodness we started hitting shots from some other people, and I thought Sydney Starks … and [junior forward] Amelia [Rosin] did a good job coming off the bench.” 

WashU vs. Rochester

Two days later, the Bears defeated Rochester 62-55. 

While Emory limited the Bears’ ability to score from long-range, Rochester targeted their defensive efforts on Harris. Stone adjusted by rotating Harris and Rosin at the center position after Harris received a technical foul, with WashU taking advantage of Rosin’s strong rebounding ability. Rogers provided a jolt to the Bears’ offense; she scored 14 points including hitting two 3-pointers, while playing a full 40-minute game. 

“Some games, we know they’re going to be sucking up on our shooters,” Rogers said. “But today, they played us really heavy in help [defense], and that eventually our shots would start falling, so it’s just a matter of knowing that we put the work in and shooting our shots.” 

The Bears led for the majority of the game, despite the close final score. After the Bears lost a game against Carnegie Mellon University earlier this season in which they failed to convert key opportunities, the Bears converted their opportunities late in the game to win against Rochester. 

“The good thing is that we were able to win the game in the post,” Stone said. “This game went the other direction at Carnegie, so we’re getting better.” 

Stone used just eight players off of her roster against Emory and Rochester. All six of the Bears’ juniors played key minutes, while Rich started at forward and sophomore Ava Blagojevich provided relief at guard. 

The Bears will face Emory and Rochester again next weekend. They will travel to Atlanta to face Emory on Friday, Feb. 6, and conclude their road trip in Rochester on Sunday, Feb. 8. With three more UAA weekends left in the season, the Bears look to continue the momentum from this sweep into their rematches next weekend. 

“We’re focusing on the next one ahead,” Rogers said. “We’re focusing on who they have, how we’re going to play them, and really just taking it all one game at a time.”