With 47 seconds left in the game, first-year guard Ava Blagojevich converted a layup to score the Bears’ 115th point of the game and set a program record for points scored by WashU in a single game. The previous record stood for over 25 years, set in a 114-47 win against Beloit College in 1999. 

Oliff stayed confident, like the Bears have all year in clutch situations, and sank both shots to give the Bears a 68-67 lead that they would not relinquish. After a failed full-court heave from Illinois College, the rambunctious WashU student section stormed the court as the Bears stamped their ticket to the Sweet Sixteen.

The Bears not only earned a spot in the tournament field, but obtained hosting privileges in the first and second rounds, one of just 16 teams to do so.