Senior Guard Dani Hoover drives to the basket Friday night against Augustana College in the opening round of the McWilliams Classic.

The senior guard earned the tournament MVP award after scoring 41 points and pulling down nine rebounds over the two tournament games. The team combined for 39 assists in both victories.

Wash. U. (6-1) met Wisconsin Lutheran College in Saturday’s championship game and pulled away in the second half for a 70-58 win.

The Bears shot 35.5 percent from the field in the first half, as Hoover was 1-5 with three points. However, the Red and Green got 10 points from freshman Melissa Gilkey, and the team outrebounded the Warriors 26-20, leading to a 14-6 halftime edge in second chance points and a 31-30 lead.

“I think we had a lot of great assists from the upperclassmen, [senior] Claire [Schaeperkoetter] contributed to that, and I just feel like the guards found me in open spots,” Gilkey said.

Out of the break, Hoover and junior Kristin Anda took over. Right out of the break, senior Bethany Morrison got her third of six assists of the game when she hit Hoover with a backdoor pass for a layup, and Hoover came right back on the next possession and hit a jumper in the paint.

“I feel like [in the first half], we were a little too frantic on offense. We were still really aggressive on defense and kept our energy up, and on offense we just had to slow things down and play more controlled,” Gilkey said.

Anda scored the Bears’ next five points with a layup, a baseline jumper and a free throw, and freshman Maddy Scheppers, who finished with 11 points and eight rebounds, hit a three to open up the game.

Anda put in two layups and two free throws, and Hoover hit a three to push the lead to 52-44. The Warriors would not get closer than seven in the rest of the game as the Bears got some separation and rolled to victory.

“I feel like we just really picked up our defense. We probably had the most fun as a team this weekend than we have so far, and I think that showed in that game,” Gilkey said.

Anda finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Hoover had 17 points and shot 4-4 from behind the three-point line. Both, along with Morrison, who had 12 assists during the weekend, made the all-tournament team.

“I think that [sharing the ball] is one of our strengths,” Hoover said. “Especially coming off a loss [last weekend to No. 11 DePauw University, 69-57], we wanted to come together and just execute on offense and play hard on defense, and I think we are always pretty unselfish. We are just looking to get that open shot and score as much as we can.”

The Bears met Augustana College in the semifinals of the McWilliams Classic on Friday at the WU Field House, and Wash. U. came away with a 70-47 victory. The team netted 21 assists on 25 total field goals.

“It was a very important win for this team. You know, we got beat last week, and we’re young in places. I thought today Augustana played very good defense, and they’re a very good team, so I’m happy with how we responded,” head coach Nancy Fahey said.

Leading the way was Hoover, who scored a career-high 24 points and pulled down five rebounds. Sophomore Lucy Montgomery added six points, seven assists and two rebounds in 18 minutes, while Morrison contributed seven points, six assists and three rebounds.

“They came out in a zone, and whenever you see a zone, shooters are pretty excited, because that means you’re going to get a lot of open looks. The first couple started falling, and my confidence kind of came,” Hoover said. “In the second half, we started running some hits. We were setting some good screens and getting open looks, and I just knocked them down.”

The game started close before the Bears took charge in the first half. Morrison pulled down a rebound and drove the length of the floor, dribbling behind her back before pulling up in the lane for a jumper, giving the Red and Green a 25-19 lead.

Right before the half, Montgomery dished it to the top of the key for Gilkey, who sunk a three as the buzzer went off, giving Wash. U. a 36-25 lead at the half.

Out of halftime, the Bears committed two turnovers in the first minute, which led to four Augustana points, prompting Fahey to call a timeout. The Bears came storming out, as sophomore Jordan Rettig and Hoover each contributed four points to push the lead to 44-31, and Wash. U. never looked back.

“They were playing great defense, and they could steal, but one was just forced and one was a missed block out, and I just re-emphasized that in a passionate way,” Fahey said.

The Bears will travel to Dubuque, Iowa, for a matchup with Loras College on Friday, Dec. 9. Tip-off is at 5 p.m.