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HOW THEY GOT HERE:
Washington (Mo.) University (23-2) collected the University Athletic Association (UAA) automatic berth, as Bears dropped the University of Chicago, 63-57 complete a 13-1 run through the conference schedule and lock up its 20th UAA championship in program history. It’s the 25th consecutive NCAA tournament appearance for the Bears.. |
BEARS PROBABLE STARTERS:
#20 Kristin Anda (Sr., F: 8.4 ppg, 5.8 rpg) | Individual Stats
#21 Melissa Gilkey (Jr., F: 16.6 ppg, 8.3 rpg) | Individual Stats
#22 Jordan Thompson (So., G: 8.4 ppg, 120 assists) | Individual Stats
#23 Maddy Scheppers (Jr., G: 9.6 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 40 3FG) | Individual Stats
#34 Jordan Rettig (Sr., F: 8.3 ppg, 6.3 rpg) | Individual Stats |
BEARS TOURNAMENT NOTES:
TThe Bears, champions of their 20th straight UAA conference crown, are no strangers to NCAA tournament play — having played in eight of the last 16 national title games, winning the crown in 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2010. … Washington University is 62-22 in its previous 25 NCAA tournaments. … The Bears’ UAA title is the first league title since the 2009-10 season, when they also finished 13-1 in the UAA and went on to win the NCAA Divi¬sion III National Championship. … Washington University ranks third on the all-time winningest NCAA Division III list with a .798 winning percentage (723-183) in 35 seasons. The Bears’ 623 wins are the sixth-most in Division III history. … The Bears enter Friday’s tournament opener against Northwestern riding a six-game winning streak, while owning a 19-1 record in their last 20 contests — the lone blemish a four-point, 72-68 loss to the University of Rochester on Feb. 7. … The Bears’ only other loss this season was a 74-62 setback against then No. 1-ranked DePauw on Dec. 1. … Washington University swept the top honors from the UAA this year, as Melissa Gilkey was named the 2014 UAA Player of the Year, while Maddy Scheppers was the league’s Defensive Player of the year, and head coach Nancy Fahey and her staff was tabbed UAA Coaching Staff of the Year. … Gilkey, who averages a team-best 16.6 ppg, scored in double figures in 24 of 25 regular-season games — including each of the last 20. … Gilkey poured in a career-high 33 points and 14 rebounds in the Bears’ 70-60 win over NYU Jan. 19. It marked the third time in the last seven seasons that a WUSTL player surpassed 30 points in a game, and the first time since Kathryn Berger scored 32 at Emory Feb. 11, 2011. … Gilkey also boasts a team-leading nine double-doubles. … Gilkey became the 13th player in school history to surpass 1,000 career points during the Bears’ win at the University of Rochester on Jan.31, and ranks ninth in school history with 1,137 career points — just eight point shy of moving past Kathryn Berger for eighth. … Gilkey also ranks sixth on Washington University’s career blocked shots list (97) and ninth in career rebounds (610). … Alyssa Johanson also enters NCAA tournament play averaging in double figures for the Bears at 11.0 ppg. … Johanson scored in double figures in 18 games for the Bears this season, including a season-high 19 points at Carnegie Mellon University on Jan. 26. … Nineteen different players have scored for Washington U. this season. The Bears have had 10 or more players in the scoring column in 10 different games. … Lucy Montgomery has made 88 3-pointers in her four-year career, which is three shy of joining Washington U.’s all-time top-10 list. Scheppers is also closing in on joining the list, with 80 career 3-pointers. … Washington U.’s Class of 2014 — Montgomery, Jordan Rettig and Jessy Rosen — has led the Bears to an overall record of 91-20 (.820), including four 20-win seasons and four NCAA Tour¬nament appearances. … Washington U. has a 21-0 record this season when leading at halftime. Since the 2010-11 season, the Bears are 80-6 when gaining the halftime advantage. … Washington University owns a conference-best all-time UAA record of 320-51 (.863). The Bears are 175-10 (.946) all-time in home UAA games. … Coach Nancy Fahey became the 30th coach in women’s basketball history to reach 650 wins with the Bears’ 87-72 win over Chicago on Jan. 11. She has a 662-120 record in 28 seasons at WUSTL. Fahey’s .847 winning percentage ranks fourth among active NCAA coaches and fifth all-time. |
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