Sports update Feb. 6: Men’s basketball picks up big win at Emory

The No. 25 men’s basketball team snapped No. 17 Emory University’s 17-game home winning streak with a 92-83 victory Feb. 5 in Atlanta.

The victory enabled WUSTL, who lost Feb. 3 at the University of Rochester, to remain in a tie for first place in the University Athletic Association standings with New York University.

Against Emory, sophomore Alan Aboona tied his career-high with 16 points on 10-of-11 free-throw shooting, while senior Alex Toth (15 points), freshman Brayden Teuscher (14 points), freshman Matt Palucki (13 points) and sophomore Chris Klimek (11 points) also scored in double figures.

Senior Dylan Richter scored 20 points and joined the 1,000-point club in the Bears’ 94-84 loss at Rochester. Richter has scored 1,002 points in his four-year career, becoming the 20th player in school history to achieve the feat. Klimek added a career-best 20 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the field, while Palucki had nine points and junior Max Needle chipped in with a season-high eight points in five minutes off the bench.

WUSTL (15-5, 7-2 UAA) plays its final two home games of the season against Case Western Reserve University at 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 10, and Carnegie Mellon University at noon Sunday, Feb. 12. Prior to that game, the team will honor its three senior members Richter, Jake Seymour and Toth.

Women’s basketball splits on the road

The No. 8 women’s basketball team split a pair of University Athletic Association (UAA) games on the road last weekend.

In a 60-55 win over No. 5 University of Rochester Feb. 3, freshman Melissa Gilkey scored 19 points and freshman Maddy Scheppers added 15.

The victory snapped a four-game losing streak, as the WUSTL women won at Rochester for the first time since Feb. 18, 2007. The Bears shot 52.2 percent from the field in the second half (12-23), and drilled 4-of-6 three-pointers. Scheppers had 13 points in the second half to lead the Bears, and also finished with 10 boards for her first career double-double.

The Bears suffered the season’s first road loss in an 82-72 loss at Emory University Feb. 5. WUSTL fought back from 16 points down in the second half to cut the lead to one with 6:29 to play. Senior Dani Hoover (14 points, 8 rebounds), Gilkey (11 points, 6 rebounds), sophomore Lucy Montgomery (10 points) and senior Bethany Morrison (10 points) all scored in double figures.

WUSTL (15-4, 5-3 UAA) plays its final two home games of the season next weekend. The Bears take on Case Western Reserve University at 6 p.m. Friday, Feb. 10, and Carnegie Mellon University at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 12.

At halftime of Friday’s game, WUSTL will honor its 11 members of the WU Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2011, including head coach Nancy Fahey.

Jackey leads track team at Illinois Wesleyan

Senior Erica Jackey broke her own school record in the 800 meters to help the WUSTL women finish fourth at the Bob Keck Invite Feb. 4 at Illinois Wesleyan University. The WUSTL men’s team finished seventh.

Jackey improved her school-record time by nearly four seconds to finish as the runner-up in the women’s 800. She clocked a time of 2:10.69, bettering her record of 2:14.14 set two weeks ago. Jackey’s time also was the second-fastest in Division III this season.

Sophomore Anna Etherington was the lone event winner for either of the WUSTL track teams. She cleared a personal-best height of 3.81 meters to win the pole vault, which ranks third in Division III this season and was just five centimeters shy of tying the school record.

Both teams travel to Monmouth, Ill., Saturday, Feb. 11, to compete in the Fighting Scots Invitational at Monmouth College.

Men’s tennis sweeps McKendree in season opener

The No. 3 men’s tennis team opened the 2012 season with a 9-0 victory over NCAA Division II McKendree University Feb. 3 at Kings Point Racquet Club in Belleville, Ill.

Junior Adam Putterman improved to 12-1 in singles, and picked up his third career win at No. 1 singles.

WUSTL (1-0) returns to action at 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11, against Division II Drury University at the Creve Coeur Racquet Club.