The No. 2 ranked and defending national Washington University in St. Louis men’s basketball team opened the second half on a 17-2 run as the Bears shocked No. 1 ranked and previously unbeaten University of St. Thomas, 79-64, on Saturday in Wheaton, Ill., to advance to the Final Four for the third-straight season.
Washington University will take on No. 23 Guilford College in the National Semifinals on Friday, March 20, at 5 p.m., at the Salem Civic Center in Salem, Va. Guilford rallied for a 64-59 overtime victory over No. 22 University of Texas-Dallas in the Sectional Championship played at John Carroll University.
The No. 5 Washington University women’s basketball team withstood a second-half surge by No. 1 and previously unbeaten Illinois Wesleyan University to pick up a 58-53 win and secure its eighth trip to the NCAA Division III Final Four on Saturday, March 14, at the Shirk Center in Bloomington, Ill.
The eight trips to the Final Four tie the University of Scranton for the most ever by an NCAA Division III school. Washington U., which is making its NCAA-record 20th-consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament, improves to 48-17 all-time in postseason action. The Bears were last in the Final Four in 2007, when they lost to DePauw University, 55-52, in the national championship game.
Story courtesy of Washington University. Click for men’s basketball info and women’s basketball info .