Washington University’s women’s basketball team defeated No. 14/16 Lake Forest College, 58-47, Saturday evening in Lake Forest, Ill., to advance to the NCAA Sweet 16. With the win, the No. 9/11 Bears improved to 22-5 overall.
Senior Beth Lucas stole an errant Bears pass and dribbled length of the floor for an uncontested two to open the game, and sophomore Ashley Cretacci followed with a three-pointer at the shot clock buzzer to give the Foresters an early 5-0 lead. LFC extended its lead to 14-4 when senior Andrea Durante hit two free throws.
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Yet the Red and Green withstood LFC’s opening storm. After a Bears timeout, freshman Zoë Unruh sparked a 9-0 WU run, hitting a pull-up 15-footer seconds after checking into the game. Sophomore Halsey Ward hit a three-pointer in transition, and Unruh notched back-to-back lay-ups to bring WU within one point (14-13). The Foresters called for time, and senior Rebecca Parker scored in the post to give Washington its first lead of the game at 15-14.
LFC scored five unanswered points to take the lead back, but Washington U. bounced back again to lead 23-21 at halftime despite 18 first-half turnovers. The Bears closed the half on a 19-7 run, and were led by Ward’s seven points at the break. Unruh also chipped in with six points, while Parker added six points and five rebounds. Senior Andrea Durante paced the Foresters, who shot just 28 percent from the field in the opening half, with seven points.
“They ran through passing lanes from the start, which makes you make hard cuts,” said WU head coach Nancy Fahey. “We made some adjustments at halftime and responded with some big plays in the second half.”
In the second frame, senior Sarah Schell hit a step-back three-pointer on the Bears’ first possession. Sophomore Jill Brandt found a seam in the LFC defense and was fouled, and she hit both of the ensuing foul shots. Schell then found senior Jenny Southworth in the left corner for a transition triple to give WU a 31-21 lead and force an LFC timeout at the 18:29 mark.
Brandt, sophomore Jaimie McFarlin and Ward followed with a bucket each to extend the Bears’ lead to 37-23 and force a 30-second LFC timeout with 14:57 left on the clock. Freshman Claire Schmidt scored on a put-back and Durante and senior Lizzy Bauer added a free throw apiece to draw Lake Forest within 10 points (37-27).
The Foresters cut their deficit to single digits with 5:11 remaining in regulation. Junior Nicole Baich registered her first field goal at that time, and the Bears whistled for a full timeout. After the break, McFarlin took a pass from Parker and converted in the paint. Schell, who scored WU’s final eight points, hit two free throws and scored on a baseline drive to answer consecutive field goals by the Foresters and keep the Bears’ lead at 11 (54-43) with about two minutes to play.
“Lake Forest’s defense was solid throughout the game,” Schell said. “Once we got used to it, we were able to read the backdoors and use them to our advantage.”
As the only Bear in double figures, Schell scored a team-high 14 points, including a 9-of-11 day at the charity stripe. McFarlin contributed eight points and grabbed seven rebounds, while Parker finished with eight points and seven boards. Durante led the Foresters with 14 points.
Washington U. will face No. 25 Luther College in the sectional semifinals on Friday, March 9, in Decorah, Iowa.