From University of Chicago Athletics

Playing in front of a home contingent for the second time this year, the University of Chicago men's basketball team handily outpaced Kalamazoo College 75-63 on Saturday afternoon.

The Maroons (6-2 record) won their fifth-straight game of the season and fifth in-a-row against the Hornets (0-4 record).

Senior forward Alex Voss led UChicago in scoring, employing his shooting stroke and height advantage into a team-high 18 points. Kalamazoo's big man, junior Chase Baysdell, brought an old-school style with him onto the court, using an array of hook shots, drop steps and pick and rolls to match with 18 of his own.

Kalamazoo came down and hit a three on the team's opening possession to give the Hornets their largest lead of the afternoon. Senior guard Jordan Smith brought the ball right back and finished at the rim. After a stop, junior forward Waller Perez took it baseline like Smith had done, getting fouled in the process. Perez hit both free throws, giving the Maroons their first lead. Perez then hit a three-pointer and senior forward Nate Brooks threw down a dunk to make the score 9-3.

Although the lead flipped five times through the midpoint of the first half, the Maroons eventually took firm control of the game and led by double digits for most of the afternoon. Threes from Smith and Voss helped spark a 12-2 run to go ahead 33-23.

Both teams played a rapid style of play, embracing transition threes and often attacking the other team's defense before it had a chance to be set. Both the Maroons and the Hornets geared their shot selection towards three pointers, shots at the rim and free throws.

In addition to Voss' big afternoon, the Maroons employed a balanced offensive attack. Smith and junior guard Tyler Howard had nine points, while Perez, sophomore guard Jake Fenlon and junior forward Blaine Crawford all added 10 each.

With 14 minutes left in the second half, those in attendance were treated to a highlight reel play courtesy of Smith. The Whitney Young High School graduate and current Maroon senior took the ball baseline, and elevated over everyone for an emphatic two-handed slam to bring the crowd to their feet. UChicago worked in some of the team's backups in the closing minutes as the starters stood and applauded the effort of their teammates until the final buzzer sounded.

While the shooting percentage were almost identical between the two sides, the Maroons ran away with the free throw advantage (18-for-29 vs. 8-for-12) and converted seven three-pointers versus Kalamazoo's five. UChicago scored 18 points off turnovers with 16 second chance points while the Hornets were limited to a mere eight points off of turnovers and nine second-chance points. The Maroons led by a maximum of 17 points when they went ahead 69-52 with 3:38 left in the second half.

Despite Kalamazoo's large front line, the rebounding advantage went to UChicago, 44-34. The home team also led in bench points 26-16 and in turnovers 8 to 17.

UChicago Team Stats & Leaders
Field-goal Percentage – 41.0 percent (25-61)
Three-point Percentage – 29.2 percent (7-24)
Free-throw Percentage – 62.1 percent (18-29)
Alex Voss (Forward, Sr.) – 18 points, 12 rebounds
Blaine Crawford (Forward, Jr.) – 10 points, 9 rebounds
Waller Perez (Forward, Jr.) – 10 points, 6 rebounds
Jake Fenlon (Guard, So.) – 10 points