Sophomore Connor May set a career-high with 30 points against NYU. (Bri Nitsberg | Managing Photo Editor)

In every season this decade, the WashU men’s basketball team has qualified for the Division III NCAA tournament. This year, the streak was in jeopardy. With two wins this past weekend on the road, the No. 24 Bears solidified their resume and appear to be on track to return to the tournament. They defeated New York University (NYU) 84-74 on Feb. 20 and Brandeis University 74-68 on Feb. 22.

It has been an up-and-down season for the Bears, who have a 17-7 overall record and 7-6 record in University Athletic Association (UAA) play. At the beginning of the season, the Bears were consistently ranked in the national top five, but fell several spots after the first few weeks. 

However, the Bears have been hot as of late. Their biggest victory so far came at the end of January, as they upset No.1 Emory University at home, and have won five of their last seven games. Currently, WashU is third in the UAA, and with only one game left in the regular season, each contest is vital to the Bears’ postseason push.

“Even though we lost some tough games, we had substantial leads and just didn’t close out some games,” head coach Pat Juckem said. “Our belief in our system and in each other never wavered. We’ve just continued to stick with our process.”

After losing to NYU on Jan. 23 on a heartbreaking buzzer beater, WashU was eager to get revenge this weekend. The Bears quickly got out to a 10-1 lead six minutes in. WashU extended their lead to 12 halfway through the first half, off of a 3-pointer from first-year guard Josh Kim. After a bucket from senior guard Yogi Oliff and two more 3-pointers from Kim and junior guard Ryan Cohen, WashU found themselves up 30-14, dominating the first half of play. 

Before halftime, NYU went on a run, cutting the Bears’ advantage to just 8. Still, WashU excelled offensively throughout the first half, going 15-27 from the field compared to the Violets’ 10-30. Kim led the way, scoring 10 of WashU’s 35 first-half points.

The Violets came out of the locker room hot, hitting three 3-pointers and eventually tying the game at 40-40 five minutes into the second half. Sophomore Connor May and first-year guard Theo Rocca kept the Bears in the closely contested matchup, scoring WashU’s next 13 points. With six minutes left in the game, WashU went on a 12-2 run, hitting four 3-pointers and giving them a 10-point lead. 

Cohen then scored 6 more points, sealing the Bears’ 84-74 victory over the reigning national runners-up. May finished the game with a career-high 30 points, followed by Kim, who had 16. Overall, WashU shot 53% from the field and 50% from behind the arc. 

The Bears then traveled to Massachusetts for a rematch against Brandeis, whom they narrowly lost to earlier in the season. This time, it was the Judges who went on a run early, leading the Bears 10-0 after the first four minutes. WashU fired back, making it 13-10 in favor of Brandeis. With six minutes left in the first half, the Bears took their first lead of the day, 23-22, off a layup from May. This was part of a 22-0 WashU run with key points from Rocca, May, and senior guard Will Grudzinski. 

By halftime, the Bears had flipped their deficit into a 10-point, 39-29 lead. WashU was phenomenal off the glass, out-rebounding the Judges 27-15, including 11 offensive rebounds that turned into 10 second-chance points.

However, WashU’s offense fell stagnant early in the second half, allowing the Judges to come back into the game. A few minutes into the second half, Brandeis cut the lead to only 4, 41-37. With 12 minutes left in the game, the Bears held onto a narrow one-possession lead as the teams traded buckets. 

A 3-pointer from Grudzinski sparked a 6-0 WashU run, giving them a slightly more comfortable advantage, 56-49. As the clock ticked under five minutes left, Cohen hit a pair of 3-pointers, and May drained a key jumpshot to keep the lead in the final minutes of the contest. Ultimately, WashU would hold on 74-68 for their fourth consecutive victory.

In 25 minutes of playing time, Grudzinski recorded his best performance of the season, knocking down five 3-pointers and 21 total points. May finished with 16 points and six rebounds as well. The Bears shot 47% from the field while getting 45 rebounds.

“We fought down to the final few minutes in both games this weekend … and our guys have shown some real toughness during this stretch,” Juckem said. “Playing meaningful games in February is what college basketball is about.”

The Bears got the job done this past weekend but will face tough competition again, playing at home against No. 4 University of Chicago on Saturday, Feb. 28. The Bears will seek revenge after the Maroons defeated them 85-62 at the beginning of January. A win will almost certainly send the Bears to the tournament, but a loss would hurt their chances.