The No. 23 ranked Emory women's basketball team dropped their third consecutive conference game to UAA rival No. 15 WashU in a hard-fought home matchup Friday night, with the Eagles falling to the Bears 63-56.

The rookies led the charge for Emory as freshmen guards Tatum Olson and Mia Strazza highlighted the team, putting up 13 points apiece on the night. Junior Alexandra Loucopoulos also found herself in double digits with 12 points alongside her team-high eight rebounds, with classmate Mary Mullinax not far behind as she put up six rebounds. Fellow junior Caroline Connelly also recorded a team-high four assists and three blocks on the night.

WashU found momentum early as they led the entirety of the first quarter, but a layup from senior Chloe Kreusser and a jumper from Olson helped the Eagles find their rhythm. After a nearly three-minute scoring drought, a clutch three pointer from rookie Lauren Walsh helped the Eagles decrease WashU's lead going into the second quarter at 17-10.

As the second quarter began, the Eagles struggled to find the basket until Strazza found success from beyond the arc, putting the score at 21-13 and giving the Eagles the momentum they needed. Olson and Loucopoulos kept the trend going as they went for back-to-back threes to come within four points of the lead. Strazza stayed hot throughout the second quarter as she put up another three, which was quickly followed by a driving layup from Loucopoulos to bring the score to 25-24. Despite WashU's efforts to hold onto the lead, the Eagles battled as Strazza put up her third three-pointer of the night to tie the Bears 27-27. With the clock winding down, WashU found a way to keep their lead, not without a valiant effort from the Eagles as Lily Kennedy got the layup with seven seconds left to put the score at 30-29 going into halftime.

The third quarter started strong for the Eagles as a pair of free throws from Mullinax put the Eagles in the lead. That was the recharge Emory needed as Olson and Strazza put up consecutive threes to extend the Eagles' lead. Loucopoulos also found the rim with a step back jumper to bring the score to 39-31 with six minutes left. The Eagles started to lose their footing as WashU went on a 13-point scoring run to regain the lead, extending the score to 47-40 going into the final quarter.

A pair of free throws from Olson and a set of field goals from Mullinax helped Emory put pressure on WashU with the score 49-44, but WashU pushed back thanks to a pair of layups from Lexy Harris and Sidney Rogers. After a scoreless seventh minute, a layup and made free throw from Olson and another layup from Mullinax put the Eagles down by four with 5:21 left on the clock. The Eagles struggled to bounce back as the game clock dwindled and WashU found a second wind as they went on a six-point scoring run. Despite a last-ditch effort from Loucopoulos in the final minute, the Eagles fell to the Bears by a seven-point margin.

The Eagles will be back in the WPEC on Sunday for the second game of a four-game homestand as they take on No. 17 UChicago at noon.