From University of Chicago Athletics
Despite a disjointed first half of play, the University of Chicago men's basketball team righted the ship and surged past Brandeis University 65-50 on Sunday to extend its 13-game winning streak.
The No. 12-ranked Maroons (14-2 record) maintained its hold atop the University Athletic Association (UAA) standings with a 5-0 mark. The Judges dropped to 8-8 overall and 2-3 in the UAA.
Sophomore forward Collin Barthel starred off the bench for the home team, scoring 12 to lead all game scorers. Senior Alex Voss and sophomore Jake Fenlon added 11 points apiece for the Maroons in the low-scoring affair.
Brandeis came into the day fresh off Friday's 69-66 road win at Washington University-St. Louis. The Judges brought tenacious defense with them to the Ratner Athletics Center on Sunday and hounded the home team from the opening jump. UChicago struggled mightily to get into an offensive flow and numerous offensive fouls sabotaged possessions. The Maroons also missed their first six free throws of the contest.
The home side was held to six points during the opening seven minutes. Fortunately, UChicago also showed up with tough defense across the board to keep things close. Barthel then got the Maroons heading forward midway through the half by sinking a pair of three-pointers to make the score 12-11. The sophomore was particularly effective from the outside, making 4 of 5 from three-point range in the contest.
Fenlon also contributed largely to the first-half offense. Towards the end of the half, between the 3:13 and 1:11 marks, he hit two treys to stretch the lead to 24-20. The sophomore's eight points led the way for UChicago, who took a 24-22 edge into the break.
After a first half that featured 12 lead changes, the Maroons turned up the intensity and enforced their will in the second half, not allowing Brandeis to tie the game or gain a lead again. UChicago embarked on a 13-3 run that include an and-one conversion by junior guard Tyler Howard to go up 39-28.
The home team was not done, however, as UChicago outscored Brandeis 16-1 during a six-minute stretch to rush ahead 57-34. Voss scored all 11 of his points in the second half for the home team. The Maroons his six three-pointers in the second half and 10 overall in the game.
The Maroons shot 45.1 percent from the field and narrowly out rebounded the Judges 37-36. UChicago took care of the ball in the second half with only three turnovers. The bench made a major impact on the game for the Maroons with 28 points.
UChicago Team Stats & Leaders
Field-goal Percentage – 45.1 percent (23-51)
Three-point Percentage – 38.5 percent (10-26)
Free-throw Percentage – 47.4 percent (9-19)
Collin Barthel (Forward, So.) – 12 points, 3 rebounds
Alex Voss (Forward, Sr.) – 11 points, 3 assists, 3 rebounds
Jake Fenlon (Guard, So.) – 11 points
Brandeis Team Stats & Leaders
Field-goal Percentage – 35.7 percent (20-56)
Three-point Percentage – 30.0 percent (6-20)
Free-throw Percentage – 57.1 percent (4-7)
Jordan Cooper – 11 points, 7 rebounds