From Washington University Athletics

The No. 3-ranked Washington University in St. Louis men's basketball team scored a 100-64 victory over Case Western Reserve University Friday evening during University Athletic Association (UAA) play at the Horsburgh Gymnasium in Cleveland.

WashU won its fifth-straight game to improve to 13-2, 4-0 in the UAA. Case has lost three straight games and is 7-8, 1-3 in the UAA. The Bears shot 46.5-percent from the field (33-of-71) including 11-of-23 from beyond the arc. 

Five Bears scored in double figures led by senior Jake Knupp (15) and freshman Jack Nolan (15). Seniors Andrew Sanders (13), David Schmelter (11) and Matt Highsmith (10) also reached double digits. WashU's bench outscored Case Western's 44-26 as all 14 players on the traveling roster saw action. 

Senior Kevin Kucera paced the Bears attack with nine assists, increasing his career-total to 424, one shy of tying Alan Aboona for fifth all-time in school history.

The Bears got off to a hot start causing a Case Western timeout within the opening two minutes of play as WashU ran out to a 10-0 lead. Schmelter, Sanders, Kucera and Highsmith got the Bears started including back-to-back triples by Kucera and Highsmith.

The Spartans cut into the Bears 10-point lead following the timeout, trimming the score to 15-9 with 14:41 to go in the first half but WashU quickly built a double-digit lead which held for the remainder of the contest.

The Bears went on a 14-0 run including multiple threes by Nolan and Knupp. Junior DeVaughn Rucker and senior Sasha Sobolev converted two-pointers that gave WashU its largest lead of the half, 53-26. WashU shot 53.8-percent from beyond the arc to build a 53-29 halftime lead.

The closest Case Western cut the lead in the second half was 19 points on a layup by Antonio Ionadi with 15:16 to go, as WashU led by 59-40. Nolan led all scorers in the second half with nine points while sophomore Mickey Belltotaled a career-high seven and sophomore Matt Nester added six. Nester's two triples set a new personal-best.

T.J. Duckett led the Spartans with 15 points as Ignas Masiulionis also scored 10 points for Case Western. Duckett finished the game 7-of-11 from the field.

WashU takes on Carnegie Mellon University (4-11, 0-4 UAA) on Sunday, Jan. 21, in Pittsburgh. Game time is set for Noon (ET).

BEAR NOTEBOOK
• WashU leads the all-time series with Case 46-5, and the Bears have won the last six meetings
• Sanders has scored in double figures in 25-straight games.
• Nolan has scored in double figures in nine-straight contests
• The Bears are 6-1 away from home this season
• WashU recorded back-to-back 100-point contests for the second time in 113 years.