Bears Win 2009 University Athletic Association Title With Win

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St. Louis, Mo., February 22, 2009 – The No. 11 Washington University women’s basketball team captured its 18th University Athletic Association (UAA) Championship and gained the conference’s automatic bid to the 2009 NCAA Division III Tournament with a 65-52 victory over No. 6 University of Rochester on Sunday afternoon at the WU Field House in St. Louis, Mo. The Bears become the first team in the NCAA to gain an automatic bid to the 2009 NCAA Tournament.

Junior Janice Evans dropped in a game-high 19 points for the Bears on 7-of-13 shooting from the field and 5-of-6 from the foul line. Evans, who came into the game averaging a team-best 10.8 points per game over the last eight contests, scored in double-figures for the sixth time in conference play.

Senior Jaimie McFarlin also filled up the stat sheet as she registered five points, eight rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals in the victory. McFarlin tied Karen Hermann (1987-91) for fifth all-time at WU in rebounding with 693 in her career.

Rochester (21-3, 10-3 UAA) jumped ahead 10-4 in the early minutes of the contest as Melissa Alwardt nailed back-to-back three-pointers. A put-back from sophomore Kelsey Robb and a steal and a jumper from freshman Dani Hoover knotted the score at 10-10. Alwardt ended a five-minute scoreless drought for UR with a three-pointer on the fast-break with 10:47 remaining. During the stretch, Washington U. forced the Yellowjackets into five missed shots and four turnovers.

The Yellowjackets held onto a 17-12 lead but WU ended the half on a 17-2 run to take a 29-19 advantage into the intermission. Evans made 4-of-5 free-throws and scored six-straight points during a run where the Bears’ defense did not allow Rochester to score in its final eight possessions of the half.

Washington U. held Rochester without a field goal for the final 7:24 of the first half, and forced the Yellowjackets into 13 turnovers in the first 20 minutes of action. Evans had 13 points on 4-of-6 shooting from the field, and she was 5-of-6 from the free-throw line. The Bears limited Rochester to 25 percent (6-24) shooting from the field.

The Bears’ defense continued to suffocate Rochester and a three-pointer from the top of the key by senior Halsey Ward gave WU a 34-20 lead. Sophomore Alex Hoover extended the Bears’ advantage to 37-22 after she converted a three-point play.

Julie Marriott snapped Rochester’s 11:59 drought without a field goal with a 15-foot jumper at the 15:45 mark of the second half to trim the lead to 37-24. Sophomore Kathryn Berger drained a three-pointer from the corner to give Washington U. a 42-26 lead with 14:25 left, but Rochester would not go away.

After a jumper by Robb gave WU a 13-point advantage, the Yellowjackets turned two turnovers by the Bears into back-to-back buckets to get the lead under double figures at 44-35. After a timeout by WU head coach Nancy Fahey, McFarlin registered a three-point play and junior Zoë Unruh drained a three-pointer from the corner to make it 50-35.

Hoover scored in double-figures for the second-straight game with 10 points, while Berger added 11 off the bench. The Bears limited Rochester to 33.3 percent (18-54) shooting from the field and forced 19 turnovers. WU also shot 87.0 percent (20-23) from the foul line in the victory. Alwardt led the Yellowjackets with 18 points, while Marriott added 10.

It is the 19th time in her illustrious career that Fahey has recorded as least 20 wins in a season. Washington U, which improved to 6-2 this season against ranked opponents, will make it 20th-straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament and 21st overall.

Washington University (20-4, 12-1 UAA) will conclude its regular season slate on Saturday, Feb. 28, when the Bears welcome the University of Chicago to the WU Field House at 1 p.m. Prior to Saturday’s game Washington U. will honor its six seniors, Jill Brandt, Rovina Broomfield, Shanna-Lei Dacanay, Tiina Luning, McFarlin and Ward.