From Washington University Athletics

The No. 9-ranked Washington University in St. Louis women's basketball opened its season with an 83-60 win against Westminster College in the Field House on Tuesday night.

WashU (1-0) finished the game with 11 steals and nine turnovers in comparison to Westminster's 18 turnovers. The Bears outscored the Blue Jays 24-7 in points off turnovers. Senior Jenn Dynis finished with a double-double in a career-night to open the season. She set new personal bests in points (23) and rebounds (11).

The Bears trailed 13-11 with less than two minutes left in the opening quarter of play when Juli Hix's drained a jumper for Westminster. Senior Zoe Vernon responded with a three-pointer to give the Bears a 14-13 lead, a lead which they would not relinquish. The Red and Green concluded the quarter on an 8-0 run and led 19-13 after one quarter of play.

The Bears' offense worked the ball around as five players had two assists in the first half of play. WashU led 37-28 at the half. Dynis led all scorers at intermission with 11 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the floor, including one from downtown. Junior Natalie Orr added 10 points, eight of which came in the first quarter.

The Bears continued to grow their lead in the third quarter of play, outscoring Westminster 20-16. Dynis again led all scorers with six points on a perfect 3-for-3 from the floor. The senior also blocked two shots during the third.

Sophomore Rachael Sondag drained a three-pointer with less than a minute left in the third before adding two more from downtown in the fourth. She finished the game with nine points off the bench. Orr totaled 17 points on 7-of-14 shooting while tying with Claudia Smith with three steals apiece to lead the team. Smith finished the season-opener with six assists and did not turn the ball over.