Sports update Dec. 12: Men’s basketball continues winning ways

Senior Dylan Richter scored 25 points and senior Alex Toth added a career-best 19 points as the men’s basketball team posted a 77-68 victory over No. 17 Wheaton College Dec. 10 at the WU Field House and extended its winning streak to four games.

Richter hit 5-of-10 three-pointers and recorded his third consecutive game with 20 or more points. He is averaging 24.7 points per game in the last three contests and has hit 14-of-28 three-pointers. Toth scored 15 of his 19 points in the second half, and hit 7-of-13 from the field and 5-of-5 from the foul line.

The team shot a season-best 53.8 percent (28-52) from the field, and hit 6-of-14 three-pointers. The Bears outrebounded Wheaton, 34-26, and had a season-high 24 assists on 28 field goals.

In the 74-50 win over Webster Unversity Dec. 7, Richter scored 22 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the field with four three-pointers.

The Bears (7-2) begin a two-game road trip to end first semester play at Illinois Wesleyan University Saturday, Dec. 17. Illinois Wesleyan has a 6-2 overall record..

Women’s basketball rallies at Loras

Senior Claire Schaeperkoetter and junior Annie Sayers combined to score the final 19 points for the No. 10 women’s basketball team as the Bears earned a 55-50 win at Loras College Dec 9.

After leading 29-23 at halftime, Loras stretched its lead to as many as nine points (38-29) with 15:13 left in the second half. The Bears went on a 12-0 run over the next six minutes to turn the deficit into a 41-38 lead. The Duhawks got a free throw and a three-pointer to regain the lead, 42-41, with 8:26 remaining. Sayers scored the next eight points for WUSTL as the Bears and Duhawks traded leads over the next five minutes.

The Bears took the lead for good at 51-50 on a basket by Schaeperkoetter with 2:10 left in the game. A basket by Sayers made it 53-50 in favor of the Bears. A potential game-tying three-pointer by Loras rolled off the rim with less than 20 seconds to play, and Schaeperkoetter made both ends of a bonus free-throw situation with 12 seconds left to give the Bears the 55-50 win.

Sayers scored a season-high 12 points to lead the team, while Schaeperkoetter added 11 points and Anda finished with 10 points and four steals. Freshman Alexandra Keane tied or set five career highs in the game as she dished out a team-high six assists, while also added five points, three rebounds and two steals. Gilkey grabbed a team-high six rebounds to go with her six points.

WUSTL (7-1) returns to action with its final home game of the semester against Webster University at 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 17, at the WU Field House.

WUSTL Athletics first in Directors’ Cup standings

The Department of Athletics sits in first place in the 2011-12 Division III Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup fall standings, as announced by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA).

WUSTL totaled 372 points in the fall season, and has a 13-point lead over second-place Middlebury College (359 points). Amherst College sits in third place with 264 points, with Calvin College (262 points) and Williams College (230 points) rounding out the top five.

The Bears earned their spot atop the standings by scoring in five of the six championships conducted to date. WUSTL won the 2011 NCAA Division III women’s cross country national championship to lead four teams in the top 10. The national title for women’s cross-country was the first in school history.

In addition, the men’s cross country team placed third, the women’s soccer team was fifth, the women’s volleyball team was ninth and the men’s soccer team had a 17th place finish.

The Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup was developed as a joint effort between NACDA and USA Today. Points are awarded based on each institution’s finish in up to 18 sports — nine women’s and nine men’s. The final Division III fall standings will be released Thursday, Dec. 21.