In overtime, the Bears connected on 9-of-10 free throws and held the Maroons to 2-of-13 field goals, including 0-for-6 from three-point range. Junior Neal Griffin was a perfect 5-for-5 from the charity stripe in overtime.
Both teams were sluggish early on as Chicago failed to score a field goal for the first seven minutes of the game. Despite holding the Maroons to two points during the stretch, the Bears missed 12 of its first 15 shots and held a 6-2 advantage. Senior Scott Stone and Griffin hit back-to-back three’s to push the lead to 12-5, but Chicago responded with an 8-0 run to take its first lead at 13-12.
Leading 19-18, the Bears scored the next nine points, highlighted by a 25-foot three-pointer from Stone, to push the lead to 26-18. Stone finished the half with 10 points as the Bears went to the locker room with a 28-21 advantage. The Bears defense limited Chicago to 25.9 percent (7-27) shooting in the first half and forced eight turnovers. Jesse Meyer led UC with 14 points in the opening half.
Washington U. missed its first six shots of the second half and allowed the Maroons to claw back in with a 7-0 run to cut the lead to 28-27 with 17:07 remaining. Chicago took the lead back at 31-30, but Stone nailed his third three of the game and freshman Tyler Nading converted a three-point play to make it 36-31.
Chicago got back into the game by drilling three-pointers on three straight possessions. Drew Adams, Nate Hainje and Brandon Woodhead each hit three’s to gain the 51-45 lead with 6:56 left.
The Bears knotted the score at 53-53 after a three-pointer by junior Nick Nikitas and a three-point play by sophomore Troy Ruths. The Bears took the 63-62 lead after a put back by Nading, but Tim Reynolds of Chicago hit 1-of-2 free-throws with 34.4 seconds left to knot the score. Washington U. had a chance to win it at the end of regulation, but Stone’s three-pointer was off the mark.
Stone led the Bears with 22 points, eight rebounds, four assists and four steals. Nading added 14 points and Ruths had 13 points and 11 rebounds in his return. Nikitas provided a punch off the bench for the Bears scoring 12 points, including 3-for-4 from three-point range. Meyer led Chicago with 25 points and 10 rebounds.
The Bears improved to 13-6 all-time in UAA openers, and 35-13 all-time against the Maroons.
Washington University (9-3, 1-0 UAA) returns to action Fri., Jan. 13 at Emory University in Atlanta, Ga. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. (EST).