ST. LOUIS -- Washington (Mo.) University's Halsey Ward scored 26 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead the host Bears to a 67-56 victory over the 25th-ranked University of Chicago women's basketball team in the University Athletic Association opener for both teams Saturday afternoon.

Freshman guard Dana Kaplan (Commack, N.Y./ Commack) hit a pair of three-pointers in the game's first seven minutes as Chicago (9-3 overall, 0-1 UAA) built an early 18-7 lead.

Washington (9-3, 1-0) closed out the opening period with a 9-0 run -- including seven points from Ward -- giving the Bears a 32-31 edge at the intermission.

Washington held the Maroons to just two points during the first five minutes of the second stanza. Ward's fourth three-pointer of the day put the Bears on top 52-43 with 8:51 remaining.

A pair of layups by sophomore forward Molly Hackney (East Lansing, Mich./ Lansing Catholic) and two free throws from sophomore guard Jamie Stinson (Topeka, Kan./ Shawnee Heights) got Chicago to within three points, 52-49, at the 7:15 mark.

Washington answered with a 5-0 run, capped by Zoe Unruh's three-pointer as the shot clock expired, to increase its lead to 57-49 with 5:21 to play. The Bears led by at least eight points the rest of the way as they notched their 17th straight home victory and ended Chicago's four-game winning streak.

Janice Evans pulled down 11 rebounds as the Bears outrebounded Chicago -- which entered the contest ranked second in the nation in rebound margin -- by a 43-42 edge.

Both teams struggled from the field, Chicago at 31% and Washington at 37%. The Bears connected on 21 of 23 attempts from the foul line, while the Maroons hit six of their eight tries.

Hackney led Chicago with 14 points, while senior guard Nofi Mojidi (Silver Spring, Md./ Bullis School) recorded her second career double-double with 11 points and 11 boards.

Box Score