From University of Chicago Athletics

Hot shooting led the University of Chicago men's basketball team to a season-opening 75-68 win at Lake Forest College on Saturday.

The Maroons improved to 1-0 and the Foresters dropped to 0-1 to inaugurate the season. In their initial face-off last year, UChicago defeated Lake Forest 99-54.

The visitors attained a decisive 13-4 lead early on, with six points coming from junior guard Jordan Smith. They retained their momentum and entered the break with a 16-point lead against the Foresters. Leading into the half, Smith had scored 13 of UChicago's 41 points while junior forward Alex Voss contributed six points and six rebounds. The Maroons shot an efficient 56.0 percent (14 of 25), while Lake Forest trailed with a 25.8 percentage (8 of 31).

The Foresters tightened the score up in the second half, getting to 45-36 within the first five minutes. After a series of fouls from both teams, the Maroons' offense slowed slightly – scoring 34 points in the second half versus the 43 scored by their opponent. Lake Forest got within four points at 67-63 with just over two minutes remaining. But UChicago made six of its last eight free throws down the stretch to hold off the rally.

The game closed with a slam-dunk by Smith, bringing the season to an exciting start. The junior poured in a career-high 27 points on 10 of 15 shooting from the field. UChicago held a significant rebounding advantage 40-27. The Maroons were beleaguered by 22 turnovers in the game versus seven by Lake Forest. UChicago's 58.1 field-goal percentage was the third time in the last four games that the team has made over half its shots.

UChicago Team Stats & Leaders
Field-goal Percentage – 58.1 percent (25-43)
Three-point Percentage – 38.9 percent (7-18)
Free-throw Percentage – 56.2 percent (18-32)
Jordan Smith (Guard, Jr.) – 27 points
Blaine Crawford (Forward, So.) – 10 points, 5 rebounds
Alex Voss (Forward, Jr.) – 7 points, 11 rebounds