Early in the first half, senior Mike Grunst was the difference maker as he blocked two shots and had five points as the Bears jumped out to a 16-7 lead with 14:28 left in the first half.
Washington University's bench made its presence felt as junior Jonathan Breshears and sophomore Danny O'Boyle scored five points each midway through the first. WU then posted an 18-0 run to push the lead to 36-17 with 6:08 remaining in the first half as six different Bears scored during the run.
The Bears took a 46-32 lead to the locker room after shooting 45.5 percent (15-33) from the field in the first half and 50 percent (5-10) from three-point range. Breshears set career-highs in the first half with nine points and six rebounds in eight minutes of action. Nading also scored nine points as nine Bears scored in the first half.
Case Western Reserve got back into the game at the free-throw line, as the Spartans were 8-of-10 from the line in the first 10 minutes, trimming the lead to 65-58. During the 10-minute stretch, Case Western was limited to just four field goals.
The Bears answered with a 10-4 run to push the lead to 75-62, highlighted by a deep three-pointer from junior Neal Griffin. Senior Scott Stone took the game into his own hands late in the second half as he hit a 15-footer and a deep three-pointer to push the lead to 80-67 with 2:48 remaining.
Stone scored 12 of his team-high 17 points in the second half, as he eclipsed 800 points for his career. Nading also scored 17 points, going 6-of-10 from the field. Sophomore Troy Ruths finished with 10 points as he scored in double figures for the 19th-consecutive game.
Washington U. had a season-high 25 assists and nine blocks in the win. Stone had seven assists and freshman Sean Wallis added a career-high six assists. Grunst finished with a season-high six blocks for the Bears. WU improves to 23-4 all-time against Case Western Reserve, including winning 21 of the last 22 meetings.
Senior Carson Oren led Case Western Reserve with 20 points, as he became the Spartans all-time leading scorer with 1,460 career points. Senior Funso Lafe added 14 points as he eclipsed 1,000 points for his career.
Washington University (10-4, 2-1 UAA) returns to action Fri., Jan. 20 against New York University. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. at the WU Field House.