From University of Chicago Athletics

Despite a shaky start on offense, the No. 23-ranked University of Chicago men's basketball team closed the first half on a 21-3 run and cruised from there to defeat Bethany College 78-52 on Sunday.

The Maroons improved to 5-1 on the season and dropped the Bison to 4-2.

UChicago had trouble putting the ball in the hoop for much of the first half. The home side shot 4 of 22 from the field to start the game (18.2 percent). Bethany's full-court zone press gave the Maroons problems and the visitors used a 9-0 stretch to eventually take a 21-11 lead.

However, UChicago began to figure out the zone as the half wore on and closed on a 21-3 run in the last seven minutes. The Maroons took a 32-24 lead into the locker room and were led by sophomore guard Tyler Howard's nine points. Sophomore forward Waller Perez added eight points and junior forward Alex Voss contributed six points and six rebounds in the half.

One of the big reasons for the turnaround was rebounding. UChicago outrebounded Bethany 29-16 in the opening 20 minutes, including 13-4 on offensive boards. The Bison also didn't get many open looks and shot 28.6 percent against the Maroon defense.

The Maroons continued to score in the paint in the second half, slowly extending their lead into 20-point territory. UChicago led by as many as 30 points late in the game and 13 players saw game action. All 13 players scored and the bench contributed 35 of the team's 78 points.

Bethany was limited to 27.5 percent shooting from the field – the lowest percentage UChicago has allowed in more than 13 years. The Maroons pulled down 23 offensive rebounds in total and dominated the boards overall 54-32. Both teams had 12 turnovers apiece.

Freshman forward Collin Barthel set a new career-high with 11 points off the bench.

UChicago Team Stats & Leaders
Field-goal Percentage – 41.9 percent (31-74)
Three-point Percentage – 29.4 percent (10-34)
Free-throw Percentage – 37.5 percent (6-16)
Tyler Howard (Guard, So.) – 16 points, 5 rebounds
Alex Voss (Forward, Jr.) – 11 points, 9 rebounds
Collin Barthel (Forward, Fr.) – 11 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists