CHICAGO, Ill. – The University of Chicago women's basketball opened up conference play with a 65-52 loss to visiting No. 4-ranked Washington University-St. Louis on Saturday.

The Maroons (6-6, 0-1 UAA) had their three-game win streak snapped while the Bears (12-0, 1-0 UAA) remained undefeated.

Sophomore forward Britta Nordstrom scored UChicago first six points to keep thing close at 8-6 to start the game. However, the Maroons struggled to make shots and missed layups inside against WashU's tall defenders. The Bears embarked on an 18-2 run from that point on. The visitors hit multiple three-pointers on the weak side thanks to cross-court passes while also getting blocks and changing shots on the other end of the floor.

UChicago scored three-straight layups to cut the deficit to 26-14 and the two sides played evenly over the last eight minutes. Senior forward Ellie Greiner sank a three-pointer in the corner at 29-19, and senior guard Morgan Donovan knifed through the lane for a layup at the end of the shot clock at 31-23.

WashU led 32-23 at the break, shooting 40.0 percent from the field compared to 27.8 percent shooting by the Maroons. Nordstrom's six points led the team.

A 10-2 run by the visitors opened the second half. Freshman guard Elizabeth Nye banked in a three-pointer as the shot clock expired and another Greiner trey in the corner made the score 45-33. WashU responded again with a 14-3 run and continually controlled the rebounding battle in the post.

The Maroons showed increased energy in the final four minutes of the game. Junior guard Caitlin Moore and Greiner tallied five points each to power a 12-2 spurt. However, the team could not get within single digits.

The Bears finished with a large lead in rebounding, 50-31, while included 23 offensive boards. Turnovers were nearly even with 23 by UChicago and 22 by WashU. Greiner hit four of UChicago's five three-pointers en route to a season-high 14 points.

UChicago Team Stats & Leaders
Field-goal Percentage – 36.2 percent (21-58)
Three-point Percentage – 25.0 percent (5-20)
Free-throw Percentage – 71.4 percent (5-7)
Ellie Greiner (Forward, Sr.) – 14 points
Caitlin Moore (Guard, Jr.) – 9 points, 4 rebounds
Britta Nordstrom (Forward, So.) – 8 rebounds

Washington-St. Louis Team Stats & Leaders
Field-goal Percentage – 35.0 percent (21-60)
Three-point Percentage – 41.2 percent (7-17)
Free-throw Percentage – 59.3 percent (16-27)
Melissa Gilkey – 24 points, 12 rebounds
Katybeth Biewen – 10 points, 9 rebounds

NEXT GAME:

• Friday, January 16 – University of Rochester at UChicago, 6 PM