The Bears missed six of their first seven shots and trailed 7-2 early in the first half. Senior Leslie Berger drained a three-pointer from 25-feet out, and senior Kelly Manning added a lay-up as WU answered with an 11-0 run to take a 13-7 lead with 12:05 left.
Bri Monahan, who led Gustavus Adophus with 16 first-half points, trimmed the Bears lead to four (20-16) with her third three-pointer of the tournament. A put-back by junior Danielle Beehler and two free-throws by junior Katie Benson gave Washington University its largest lead of the half at 30-18.
Monahan scored on a driving lay-up with five seconds left as Washington U. took a 33-26 lead to the locker room. WU outrebounded Gustavus Adolphus 26-15 in the first half, including 10-4 on the offensive glass.
Washington U. opened the second half with a 13-4 run, capped off by a three-pointer by Manning to put the Bears up 46-30 with 13:36 remaining. WU dominated the inside play in the second half as it outscored the Gusties 18-8 in the paint.
Five Bears scored in double figures, led by Benson's career-high 15 points on a perfect 2-of-2 shooting from three-point range and 7-of-8 from the free-throw line. Berger and Parker added 14 points each while Manning had 11 and Beehler scored 10. Parker also notched a career-high 12 rebounds in the win, while Manning added a career-high eight assists. The eight assists by Manning broke the McWilliams Classic single-game record.
Berger earned the Jacqueline Bickel Schapp Most Valuable Player Award. She was joined on the all tournament team by Kelly Manning of Washington University, Michelle Ara of Whittier College, Jillian Compton of Millsaps College and Kristin Kachelmyer and Bri Monahan of Gustavus Adolphus College.
Washington University (5-0) returns to action Fri., Dec. 3 against Colorado College in the Colorado College Classic in Colorado Springs, Colo. Tip off is set for 6 p.m. (MST).