Coming off of two wins for their last home games of the season against the University of Rochester and Emory University, the WashU women’s basketball team fell 65-55 to the University of Chicago in their final game of the season.

In 2020 and 2021, many NCAA athletes’ seasons were disrupted, if not completely canceled, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In response, the NCAA announced that all student-athletes would receive an extra year of eligibility. Five years later, the last class of student-athletes with this extra “COVID year” are graduating from their respective institutions, including many Division III schools like WashU.

Coming off of a three-game losing streak, the WashU women’s basketball team went 1-1 on the road, battling in close games against Case Western Reserve University and Carnegie Mellon University. The Bears narrowly beat the Case Western Spartans 62-61 but fell to the Carnegie Mellon Tartans 76-70, leaving the team 5-6 in conference play. 

During a weekend on the road, the WashU women’s basketball team fell to Brandeis University 68-57 and No. 1 New York University 77-58 on Feb. 7 and 9. The Bears are now 4-5 in conference play and 13-7 overall. 

Coming off a five-game winning streak, the No. 13 WashU women’s basketball team fell to Case Western Reserve University and No. 23 Carnegie Mellon University on Jan. 17 and 19. Despite making late surges, the Bears lost to the Spartans 57-64 on Friday and the Tartans 67-86 on Sunday.

“To focus on this win streak is exciting, but it’s not our goal,” Brooks said. “We just want to win every game we can, get better every day as a team, and play for each other.”

In a weekend of two must-win games, the Bears rose to the challenge to earn their place in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. The Washington University women’s basketball team picked up two big victories against University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and No. 8 George Fox.