WashU’s Drake Kindsvater scored 10 points in the Bears’ blowout win over Fontbonne on Tuesday. (Photo: Primo Greenway)
| NCAA Men’s Basketball | 1 | 2 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|
| #2 WashU (9-0) | 64 | 43 | 107 |
| Fontbonne (3-6) | 26 | 31 | 57 |
Steven Millbrook
Special to the Editor
CLAYTON, MO — Five players reached career highs in scoring as the No. 2-ranked Washington University men’s basketball team walloped host Fontbonne University, 107-57, in an NCAA Division III non-conference game at the Mabee Gymnasium.
The Bears are now 9-0 as they head into the final contest of the 2024 portion of the schedule.
WashU was led by 17 points and seven rebounds from both sophomore Ryan Cohen and first-year Lleyton Thomas-Johnson, marking new career highs for both players. Sophomore Emmett Lawton scored 11 points, also a new career high, and senior Drake Kindsvater had 10 points in 10 minutes of play.
The Bears went up 8-0 in the opening minutes, starting with a 3-pointer from senior Hayden Doyle less than 30 seconds in. Kindsvater put in a layup and junior Will Grudzinski drained a shot from behind the arc with 18:14 on the clock.
After Fontbonne’s Jordan Lewis put the Griffins on the board, the Bears went on a 13-0 run, starting with a 3-pointer from Doyle. First-year Connor May put in a layup and Kindsvater hit a pair of free throws after being fouled on a steal. Sophomore George Gale laid one it and Kindsvater stole the ball and slammed one home. Gale hit a jumper following an offensive rebound to make it 21-2 with 14:09 on the clock.
Fontbonne added five more points and the Bears followed with an 8-0 run, starting with a dunk from Thomas-Johnson. May drained a 3-pointer and Lawton followed with a shot from distance for a 32-7 lead with 11:53 on the clock.
Sophomore Lucas Vogel netted a 3-pointer at the 10:23 mark and sophomore Jake Davis put in a layup for a 37-9 edge with 9:56 remaining.
At 7:56, Fontbonne began a 10-0 run that made it 40-24 with 6:34 on the clock. The Bears answered with a layup from first-year Yusuf Cisse, followed by a layup from Kindsvater and a pair of free throws and a 3-pointer from Lawton go up 49-24.
WashU ended the half on a 15-0 run, starting with a layup from Kindsvater. Cohen netted a 3-pointer, followed by a 3-pointer from Lawton. Thomas-Johnson hit a pair of free throws and May put in a jumper following an offensive board. Cohen drained another 3-pointer with one second remaining for a 64-26 lead at the half.
Junior Calvin Kapral hit a pair of free throws to start things off in the second half. Following a Fontbonne bucket, the Bears put in five-straight points on a 3-pointer from Cohen and a jumper from Kapral.
Thomas-Johnson hit a 3-pointer at 16:14 for a 74-30 lead before Fontbonne scored five-straight. A pair of free throws from Fontbonne’s Kendall Horton and a jumper from Charles Nelson made the difference sub-40 but Vogel responded with a 3-pointer. Thomas-Johnson slammed one home following a steal from Vogel and Davis dunked it after an offensive rebound by Lawton.
Sophomore Beza Miller scored his first points of the game with a free throw, followed by an and-one play, giving WashU an 87-43 lead with 11:26 on the clock. Cisse scored again on an assist from Vogel at 8:35, reaching a new career high.
Freshman Liam Smith hit a pair of free throws for his first collegiate points with 7:13 remaining. Miller hit a 3-pointer with 2:37 remaining and Smith put in two more free throws, giving him a career-high.
Thomas-Johnson scored the final points of the game, slamming it home following a steal from Doyle.
WashU has one more game of the 2024 portion of its season, as the Bears travel to Illinois Wesleyan next Thursday, December 19 for a 7 p.m. tip.
WashU’s next home game will be when it begins UAA league play on January 11, 2025. The Bears will host the University of Chicago that day in a contest that will tip off at 1 p.m. at the WashU Field House.
WashU sports information contributed to this story.
WashU 107
| ## | Player | GS | MIN | FG | 3PT | FT | ORB-DRB | REB | PF | A | TO | BLK | STL | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | Kindsvater, Drake | * | 10 | 4-5 | 0-0 | 2-2 | 0-2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 10 |
| 21 | May, Connor | * | 22 | 3-6 | 1-3 | 0-0 | 1-6 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 |
| 04 | Doyle, Hayden | * | 16 | 2-4 | 2-4 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 |
| 34 | Kapral, Calvin | * | 8 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 2-2 | 1-0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| 32 | Grudzinski, Will | * | 12 | 1-3 | 1-3 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 00 | Thomas-Johnson,Lleyton | 23 | 6-7 | 2-2 | 3-4 | 3-4 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 17 | |
| 11 | Cohen, Ryan | 21 | 6-9 | 5-7 | 0-0 | 1-6 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 17 | |
| 22 | Lawton, Emmett | 20 | 3-6 | 3-6 | 2-2 | 2-2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 11 | |
| 05 | Vogel, Lucas | 18 | 3-8 | 3-7 | 0-0 | 0-3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 9 | |
| 02 | Miller, Beza | 14 | 2-6 | 1-4 | 2-3 | 0-1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | |
| 25 | Cisse, Yusuf | 14 | 2-4 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| 14 | Smith, Liam | 9 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 4-4 | 0-1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | |
| 33 | Gale, George | 9 | 2-3 | 0-1 | 0-2 | 1-2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| 15 | Davis, Jake | 4 | 2-2 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| TM | TEAM | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Totals | – | 200 | 37-64 | 18-38 | 15-19 | 10-30 | 40 | 10 | 27 | 15 | 1 | 13 | 107 |
Fontbonne 57
| ## | Player | GS | MIN | FG | 3PT | FT | ORB-DRB | REB | PF | A | TO | BLK | STL | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Nelson,Charles | * | 28 | 7-13 | 1-3 | 2-2 | 1-2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 17 |
| 20 | Horton,Kendall | * | 32 | 6-16 | 1-3 | 3-6 | 1-3 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 16 |
| 04 | Crowley,Casey | * | 23 | 3-8 | 2-4 | 0-0 | 2-2 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 03 | Augustine,Kaden | * | 30 | 3-9 | 1-6 | 0-0 | 0-3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| 10 | Lewis,Jordan | * | 25 | 1-4 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 1-1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 05 | Ruble,JP | 25 | 1-2 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0-4 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | |
| 13 | Brown,Brent | 7 | 1-3 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 21 | Sutton,Cameron | 4 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 08 | Newcombe,Christian | 18 | 0-1 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 35 | Irby,Logan | 5 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 31 | Illingworth,Ayden | 3 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| TM | TEAM | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1-1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Totals | – | 200 | 23-58 | 6-21 | 5-8 | 6-18 | 24 | 14 | 12 | 21 | 1 | 5 | 57 |
2024-25 WashU Bears Men’s Basketball Schedule
| Date | Time | At | Opponent | Location | Tournament | Results/W-L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 8, 2024 (Friday) | 7 p.m. | Home | Rhodes College | WashU Field House | W 75-53 (1-0) | |
| November 15, 2024 (Friday) | 7 p.m. | Home | Rose-Hulman | WashU Field House | W 84-59 (2-0) | |
| November 19, 2024 (Tuesday) | 7 p.m. | Away | Webster University | Webster Groves, Mo. / Grant Gymnasium | W 92-66 (3-0) | |
| November 23, 2024 (Saturday) | 2 p.m. | Away | Carroll University | Waukesha, Wis. / Van Male Fieldhouse | W 81-66 (4-0) | |
| November 30, 2024 (Saturday) | 1 p.m. | Neutral | Colorado College | Memphis, Tenn. / Mallory Gymnasium | Rhodes Classic | W 69-63 (5-0) |
| December 1, 2024 (Sunday) | 4 p.m. | Away | Rhodes College | Memphis, Tenn. / Mallory Gymnasium | Rhodes Classic | W 60-54 (6-0) |
| December 6, 2024 (Friday) | 7 p.m. | Home | Colby College | WashU Field House | 40th Annual Lopata Classic | W 89-77 (7-0) |
| December 7, 2024 (Saturday) | TBD | Home | TBD | WashU Field House | 40th Annual Lopata Classic | W 91-72 (8-0) |
| December 10, 2024 (Tuesday) | 8 p.m. | Away | Fontbonne | St. Louis, Mo. / Mabee Gymnasium | W 107-57 (9-0) | |
| December 19, 2024 (Thursday) | 7 p.m. | Away | Illinois Wesleyan | Bloomington, Ill. / Shirk Center | ||
| January 4, 2025 (Saturday) | 1 p.m. | Away | Wabash | Crawfordsville, Ind. / Allen Athletics and Recreation Center | ||
| January 11, 2025 (Saturday) | 1 p.m. | Home | University of Chicago | WashU Field House | ||
| January 17, 2025 (Friday) | 5:30 p.m. | Home | Case Western Reserve | WashU Field House | ||
| January 19, 2025 (Sunday) | 1 p.m. | Home | #18 Carnegie Mellon | WashU Field House | ||
| January 24, 2025 (Friday) | 5:30 p.m. ET | Away | Rochester | Rochester, N.Y. / Louis Alexander Palestra | ||
| January 26, 2025 (Sunday) | 1 p.m. | Away | #8 Emory | Atlanta, Ga. / Woodruff P.E. Center | ||
| January 31, 2025 (Friday) | 5:30 p.m. | Home | Brandeis | WashU Field House | ||
| February 2, 2025 (Sunday) | 2 p.m. | Home | #22 New York University | WashU Field House | ||
| February 7, 2025 (Friday) | 4:30 p.m. | Away | Brandeis | Waltham, Mass. / Red Auerbach Arena | ||
| February 9, 2025 (Sunday) | 1 p.m. | Away | #22 New York University | New York, N.Y. / John A. Paulson Center | ||
| February 14, 2025 (Friday) | 4:30 p.m. | Away | Case Western Reserve | Cleveland, Ohio / Adelbert Gymnasium | ||
| February 16, 2025 (Sunday) | 1 p.m. | Away | #18 Carnegie Mellon | Pittsburgh, Pa. / Wiegand Gymnasium | ||
| February 21, 2025 (Friday) | 5:30 p.m. | Home | Rochester | WashU Field House | ||
| February 23, 2025 (Sunday) | 1 p.m. | Home | #8 Emory | WashU Field House | ||
| March 1, 2025 (Saturday) | 1 p.m. | Away | University of Chicago | Chicago, Ill. / Ratner Athletics Center |