Four different Spartans scored in double figures on Sunday afternoon but it was not enough for the Case Western Reserve University women's basketball team, which suffered an 84-74 loss to Washington University (Mo.) at Horsburgh Gymnasium in Cleveland.

The loss was the sixth straight for the Spartans, who fell to 8-12 overall and to 1-8 in the University Athletic Association. WashU improved to 13-7 with a 6-3 UAA mark.

Senior guard Sarah Mitchell continued her stellar play as of late, finishing with a career-high 23 points. It marked the third 20-point effort in the last four games for Mitchell, who before the start of the stretch had not reached the 20-point mark in a game over the first 56 games of her career. She finished the game shooting eight-of-14 from the floor and made a career-high two three-pointers on five tries while adding two rebounds, two assists, and a block.

First-year guard Mya Hartjes also registered a career-high with 16 points, shooting six-of-seven overall and four-of-five from behind the three-point line, along with a team-high three assists. Senior forward Kayla Characklis added 14 points and a team-high six rebounds, and senior guard Margaret Terry scored a season-best 12 points on Sunday.

The Spartans never led in the game but refused to go away easily after the Bears jumped out to a 17-5 lead with 3:56 remaining in the first quarter and closed out the frame with a 24-13 advantage. Hartjes scored the Spartans' first eight points of the second period, helping to cut the Bears' lead down to five, 26-21, with 7:34 to go in the half. Later in the quarter, a three from Terry and a layup by Mitchell made it a one-possession game, 30-27, with 5:27 on the clock, but WashU finished the half strong, going ahead by as many as 16 points and taking a 46-31 lead into halftime.

The Bears maintained a double-figure lead until the Spartans launched on an 11-0 run midway through the third, capped off by a jumper from Mitchell that pulled CWRU back within five points, 53-48, with 2:45 to go in the quarter. WashU responded by scoring the final five points of the third to take a 58-48 lead into the fourth and added a basket on the team's first possession of the final frame to extend the lead back to 12.

CWRU continued to threaten the Bears' lead, getting to within seven, 67-60, on a jumper by Mitchell with 4:33 to go, and back to within six points on a three by Mitchell with 35 seconds left that cut WashU's advantage to 78-72. However, that would be as close as the Spartans could get down the stretch, as the Bears pulled away late on free throws for the 10-point win.

The loss came despite a strong shooting performance for the Spartans who finished the contest shooting 47.1% (24-51) from the floor, the team's highest mark in a UAA game this season. CWRU also shot 56.5% (13-23) in the second half, and the team made 10-of-26 (38.5%) of its three-point attempts in the game, the second-most three-pointers the Spartans have made in a game this season.

The Spartans will look to bounce back next weekend when the team hits the road for its final contests away from Horsburgh Gym this season, traveling to face top-ranked New York University on Friday night and Brandeis University on Sunday afternoon.