Junior Sidney Rogers drives by a defender against Carnegie Mellon. (Lakmé Bergeret | Contributing Photographer)

At the start of the weekend, WashU women’s basketball set out to do what no team has been able to do: defeat No. 1 New York University (NYU). But despite a first-quarter advantage for the Bears, the Violets once again proved why they reign over the conference, defeating the Bears 62-82.

However, the Bears refused to let the weekend end in failure. Two days later against Brandeis University, WashU responded with determination, defeating the Judges 67-59 in a tight game that stayed up for grabs for three quarters. 

After a weekend of competition, WashU now sits at the No. 16 spot in the D3Hoops.com poll. While their postseason spot is locked, the Bears are focused on ending the regular season strong before heading into the NCAA tournament.

“Overall, we’re just really making sure that we put our best foot forward. And we can do that… if we stay true to our core principles as a team,” junior guard Alyssa Hughes said. “We just have to stay true to ourselves and come out pretty good so we can keep it going for the postseason.”

WashU vs. NYU

For a highly anticipated matchup between two ranked teams, the game against NYU got off to a slow start — especially as junior center Lexy Harris exited early with two fouls. The Bears struggled to convert early, shooting only 28 percent from the field in the game’s first eight minutes. 

Over the next minute of play, however, two 3-pointers and a long range jumper from the hot hands of junior guard Sidney Rogers doubled WashU’s score to take a 16-15 advantage at the whistle.

In the second quarter the Bears found themselves missing Harris as a stifling NYU defense forced them to shoot only 18 percent from the field, extending WashU’s deficit to 22-33 at the half. 

Still, they bounced back in the third quarter, outsourcing the Violets 26-21. WashU fed the ball through Harris nearly every possession, finding success both in the paint and by kicking the ball out to Rogers and junior guard Sydney Starks behind the arc.

“She draws every single person on the other team towards her,” Hughes said. “Not only is she a fantastic score when she’s one-on-one in the post, but she knows exactly when to kick the ball out to us on the outside to get some shots up.”

However, the Bears failed to string together any quality possessions in the fourth quarter, falling further behind a white-hot NYU offense and ultimately losing 62-82. 

While the Bears beat the Violets in the paint, it still wasn’t enough to hold off an NYU team that shot 52 percent from the field and 48 percent from 3-point range. Harris led WashU with 22 points — 20 of which came in the second half. Rogers tallied 18, but other than that the Bears struggled to produce offensively.

WashU vs. Brandeis

The game against Brandeis opened with a tight back and forth, with neither team gaining a clear lead. A pair of free throws from Harris and a 3-pointer by Hughes gave the Bears a lead of 15-11. 

With a minute remaining in the first quarter, the Bears clung to a small lead of 20-17. With 31 seconds left in the quarter, the Judges scored a free throw, cutting the lead to 20-19. 

“In moments where things might not be going our way, or the other team’s going on runs, we stay composed, stay as one team, stay united, and just try and flip the momentum towards us,” Hughes said.

And that was exactly what the Bears did, regaining their lead early in the second quarter with baskets from Harris and junior forward Amelia Rosin. 

As the game approached halftime, the Bears were up by six. However, a series of free throws allowed the Judges to tie the score at 31 with one minute left in the quarter. Hughes quickly answered with a 3-pointer, giving the Bears a 34-31 advantage. 

The Judges opened the third quarter, outscoring the Bears 11-4 for a 38-42 lead. Harris sank a pair of free throws, shrinking Brandeis’s lead to 44-46. 

Brandeis maintained control into the fourth quarter, extending their lead to seven — the Bears’ biggest deficit of the game. But WashU quickly responded with an 8-point run to regain the lead.

“It was a lot of focus defensively,” said Hughes. “We know our defensive momentum will carry us offensively, and if we’re able to get stops and build stops off one another, then it’s going to lead to good things on the offensive side of the ball.”

As the fourth quarter closed out, the Bears leaped ahead with a 10-2 stretch, securing the win at 67-59. 

Next Saturday, Feb. 28, WashU will celebrate their senior day by taking on the No. 17 University of Chicago at 3:00 p.m. in the Field House. The Bears currently sit a fraction below the Maroons in the NCAA Power Index, making this a crucial matchup to determine hosting for the upcoming tournament.