 "Photo: Joshua Goldman | Student Life")
After 49 minutes and 49 seconds of play, senior forward Tyler Nading scored the final points of the evening on a put back to defeat the Division II University of Missouri-St. Louis Tritons 91-90.
The defending national champions and current No. 1 Bears needed two overtime periods to defeat the Tritons in a game Wash. U. controlled from the opening tip. The game was the only exhibition contest for the Bears.
“I think at this time and for this part of the season, I was pretty pleased. I thought we did some things that normally we wouldn’t face this early in the season. We had to play against some pressure and had to execute well, and we were able to do so and win the game,” Head Coach Mark Edwards said.
He added that the team needs to improve in many ways to be ready for another national title run.
The Red and Green were led by junior guard Aaron Thompson, who scored a game-high 35 points on 13-24 shooting and 9-17 shooting from behind the three-point line. Due to Thompson’s effectiveness, the Tritons decided to have two players contest his three-pointer with 14 seconds left in double overtime, which allowed Nading to win a one-on-one battle for the offensive rebound and put in an easy layup for the win.
Nading scored 18 while junior forward Cameron Smith dropped 13 to round out the double-figure scoring for Wash. U.
Senior point guard Sean Wallis returned to the court after missing all but three games last season due to injury, and the senior logged 36 minutes and scored five points while dishing out 10 assists.
Wash. U. allowed five Tritons to score in double figures but won the rebound battle 36-34 (13-10 offensive rebounds) and only committed one more turnover than the UMSL.
The Tritons never led in regulation after being up 3-2 early, and only forced overtime after Wash. U. surrendered a 13-point lead with 9:27 left in the game. In the first overtime, it was UMSL that forced Wash. U. to come back from a six-point deficit to tie the game, which the Bears accomplished on three-pointers from Thompson and Nading to force a second overtime.
Neither team led by more than two points in the second extra period, and Wash. U. was able to hold the Tritons scoreless in the final 11 seconds after Nading hit the game-winning shot.
“I thought it was great. Where else can you play an exhibition game and you get to play three endings? Win or lose, it didn’t make any difference for us. It was a great experience,” Edwards said.
The team lost just one starter from last season, and while the loss of all-American forward Troy Ruths may result in more perimeter shooting in the short term, Edwards expects his post players be significant contributors along with Thompson and Smith on the outside.
“This is definitely an experienced team, but at the same time, we really do have a great freshman class…In the long run, this class between the guards and the big men is going to be a really, really good class,” Wallis said.
The basketball program added seven freshmen this season.
“We will be a different team in November than we will be in February. I think that this team has potential, and now it’s just a matter of getting good bounces and making the right things happen for ourselves,” Edwards said.
The Bears will be looking to win the UAA conference, which currently has two other ranked teams, the Brandeis University Judges and University of Chicago Maroons at No. 9 and 21, respectively.
The men open the season ranked No. 1 in the country for the second consecutive year Saturday at 1 p.m. (Mountain time) at the Colorado College Tip-Off Classic against North Park University.
“Especially with the national championship last year, it can make a team’s season just to come out and beat us,” Wallis said.
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