In a reversal of fortunes between halves, the Bears overcame 27 percent shooting in the opening period to shoot 54 percent while Millsaps fell from 41 to 26 percent. Free throws and turnovers were the key factors in the final outcome, with the Majors getting to the line just four times (3-of-4) and committing 23 turnovers against 11 assists.

Neither team could find the rim in the opening 7:40, with Wash U head coach Mark Edwards calling his first timeout of the game with Millsaps holding a slight 5-4 edge.

Out of the timeout, three consecutive fast break buckets for the Majors off a pair of Wash U turnovers pushed the lead out to seven, 11-4, as the Bears continued their struggles from the floor and hit just one 1-of-12 shots in the opening 10 minutes.

Back-to-back 3s from Caleb Knepper for Wash U cut the Millsaps lead to 13-10 at the 9:21 mark before eight-straight for the Majors gave them their largest lead of the game at 21-10.

The teams flip-flopped points the remainder of the half and Millsaps headed to the locker room with a 27-18 lead, holding the Bears to 27 percent shooting while forcing 11 first half turnovers that turned into 10 points on the offensive end.

Wash U opened the second half on a 17-0 run to ignite the home crowd and retake the lead at 35-29, using five-straight buckets from Jostens Trophy Winner Troy Ruths inside the paint and a three-ball from Cameron Smith.

The Bears turned up the defensive pressure and forced the Majors into bad shots the opening 11:30, turning what was a nine-point halftime deficit into a nine-point lead at 42-33.

Millsaps played catch up the final 4:41 and brought the game within nine at 50-41 on a pair of Rodney Rogan free throws but couldn’t get any closer than that as the Bears held off any chance of a comeback.

"Hats off to Wash U," head coach Tim Wise said. "They came out in the second half after a tough first half and went straight to their big man (Troy) Ruths who took control. He's just a tough load to handle down there and he's going to get his."

Ruths scored 15 of his game-high 23 in the second half to pace the Bears, followed by 16 points, nine rebounds and six steals from Tyler Nading. Rogan led Millsaps with 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting while Edrick Montgomery picked up his second-straight double-double in the Sectional with 13 points and 10 boards. Both were named to the All-Sectional Team.

The Majors’ record-setting season comes to a close at 28-4, while Wash U moves to 23-6 and will make its second-straight Final Four appearance next weekend.