From Washington University Athletics
The No. 7-ranked Washington University in St. Louis women's basketball team put together one of its best defensive efforts of the season in a 70-50 win at Emory University Friday night in Atlanta.
Washington U. limited Emory to 27.9 percent (19-of-68) shooting from the field in the win, including 5-of-21 from three-point range. The Bears also forced 19 turnovers and had 14 steals and eight blocks.
Washington U. improved to 20-1, 9-1 in the University Athletic Association (UAA), while Emory dropped to 11-10, 3-7 in the UAA. The win for the Bears gave head coach Nancy Fahey her 25th 20-win season in 29 years at Washington U., including the seventh 20-win season in a row.
Senior forward Melissa Gilkey scored 20 points and added seven rebounds, connecting on 10-of-11 free-throws. Gilkey registered the 85th double-digit scoring game of her career. Gilkey also added three assists and three blocks as she moved into 10th on the single-season blocked shots list with 34.
Junior guard Jordan Thompson and senior guard Maddy Scheppers added 11 points each as Washington U. shot 42.4 percent (25-of-59) from the field in the win. The Bears outrebounded Emory 44-39. Senior forward Alyssa Johanson added six points and eight rebounds in her 100th career game played.
A 13-0 run by Washington U. early in the first half gave the Bears a double-digit lead at 18-6. Washington U.'s defense did not allow a field goal for a span of 7:38, forcing Emory into eight turnovers. The Bears scored 15 of their first 23 points off Emory miscues.
Gilkey took over the game midway through the first half scoring 11 straight points, including back-to-back three-point plays. She added pair of free-throws to give Washington U. a 31-13 lead with 4:39 left before half. The Bears' defense allowed one field goal in the final 6:01 of the first half, outscoring Emory 10-3 to take a 37-16 lead to the locker room.
Gilkey led all scorers in the first half with 15 points on 7-of-8 free-throws, while Scheppers added six points. Washington U. limited Emory to 20.6 percent field-goal shooting (7-of-34), and forced 11 turnovers. The Bears had six blocks and nine steals in the opening 20 minutes of play, and had a 15-2 advantage in points off turnovers.
Washington U. continued to suffocate Emory on the defensive end, scoring the first 10 points of the second half to take a 47-16 lead with less than 17 minutes to play. The Eagles missed their first three shots from the field and had three turnovers on their first six possessions of the second half. The Bears took their largest lead of the game at 63-28 with 7:17 to play after a bucket by senior Steph Vukotic.
Ilene Tsao led Emory with 12 points and nine rebounds.
Washington U. finishes its regular-season road schedule at the University of Rochester Sunday, Feb. 15. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. (ET) in Rochester, N.Y.
Bear Notebook: Washington U. leads the all-time series against Emory 47-6, and the Bears have won the last six meetings between the two teams … The Bears are 18-0 when leading at half … Washington U. has outrebounded 18 of 21 opponents this season … Scheppers moved into a tie with Sara Ettner (2000-01) for ninth on the Bears' single-season three-pointers made list with 48.