The win marked the 52nd-consecutve game that the Bears have won when holding its opponents under 60 points. It also marked the sixth-straight win for the Bears after starting the season 0-2.
Blackburn and Washington U. struggled shooting early in the first half, as the two teams combined to score 14 points, with Blackburn holding an 8-6 advantage with 14:50 left.
WU finally got things going as the Bears scored the next 17 points to gain a 23-8 advantage with 4:45 left. Senior Scott Stone hit the Bears first three-pointer at 7:18, and then sophomore Troy Ruths threw down a thunderous one-hand dunk to highlight the run.
The Bears extended the lead to 28-9 after two free-throws from Ruths, marking WU’s largest lead of the half. Luka Djedovic of Blackburn hit a three-pointer at the 1:47 mark, ending a span of 13:03 without a field goal. The Beavers scored nine points in 39 seconds to trim the lead to 28-18, but the Bears had an answer.
Stone connected from long distance for his second three of game, and Ruths was fouled after the play. He stepped up to the line and drained both free-throws for a five point play with 39.1 seconds left, to give WU the 33-18 halftime lead.
Ruths led the Bears with 10 points and five rebounds in the first half, while Stone added eight. Washington U. held Blackburn to 21.4 percent (6-28) shooting in the first half, including 4-of-18 from three-point range.
The Bears opened the second half with a three-pointer from Stone and two free-throws from Ruths to push the lead to 38-18 with 18:45 remaining. Sophomore Danny O’Boyle came off the bench to connect on back-to-back three’s to take the lead over 20 at 62-41 with 6:49 remaining.
Ruths led the Bears with 17 points as he scored in double figures for the 15th-consecutive game, dating back to last season. Senior Mike Grunst had nine of his 13 points in the second half, while Stone added 13 points.
Washington University (6-2) returns to action Sat., Dec.10 against top-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. at the WU Field House.