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With 10 seconds left, Washington University women's basketball coach Nancy Fahey was on the court and headed to shake hands.
For Fahey, the game was over and so was the streak that had begun on her home court up the street. She took one last look at the scoreboard above, the buzzer sounded and the Bears followed her into the locker room in a blur.
The longest win streak in women's college basketball history ended at 81 games Tuesday night when Fontbonne College beat Washington U. 79-68 at the Arena-Dunham Center.
As the Bears filed off the court, the Griffins fell to the floor in a pile. They jumped and screamed, "We did it!" They ran to midcourt and huddled, and then they cried over their first win against the Bears in 19 years.
In a stunning win, Fontbonne (7-6) beat Washington U. by forcing the Bears' top scorer, Tasha Rodgers, to work extra hard for every point. The Griffins double- and triple-teamed the East St. Louis native, and the Bears were put in the unfamiliar situation of needing even more than Rodgers could deliver.
"Just stop Tasha, that's what we had to do. We collapsed on her," Fontbonne senior Melissa Steward said. "I've lost to this team three years in a row. We knew this was their weakest year. I feel like we won a championship. We beat the No. 1 team in the country."
Washington University's streak began on Feb. 20, 1998, at the Washington U. Field House. Since then, the Bears...