From University of Chicago Athletics
The University of Chicago men's basketball team closed out its season on a high note with an 81-74 win at conference rival Washington University-St. Louis on Saturday.
The Maroons finish with an overall record of 16-9, with an 8-6 mark in the University Athletic Association (UAA). The No. 5-ranked Bears fell to 20-5 and 12-2 in the UAA.
After a slow start offensively, UChicago drew ahead 11-10 after a jumper and a three-pointer from sophomore guard Noah Karras. The hosts responded with a 15-6 run to go up by eight. But a quick 10-point streak by the Maroons recaptured the advantage in the back-and-forth affair. Junior guard Jake Fenlon provided eight of UChicago's last 10 points of the half and WashU went into the break with a 40-37 lead. Fenlon and junior forward Collin Barthel tallied 13 and 10 points, respectively.
The Maroons converted three-straight layups to start the second half. Both sides continued to answer the other to prevent any big runs. UChicago got its rhythm offensively as time went on, scoring on 7 of 10 field goal attempts during a stretch to surge ahead 62-57. Six different players provided points during the balanced run.
After a tie at 64-64, the Maroons scored on four-straight possessions, which included a three and a layup by senior forward Waller Perez to make it 73-68. WashU got within one point at 73-72 with three minutes left. But UChicago held fast defensively and kept executing offensively to clinch the seven-point victory. The visitors shot 63 percent from the field in the second half.
Four starters reached double digits in points. Fenlon led the way with 16 and Perez was right behind with 14. Barthel produced a well-rounded effort with 13 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Senior guard Tyler Howard collected 13 points and dished out four assists.
Fenlon and Karras conclude their seasons with the most and second-most three-pointers made in a season in school history. Fenlon made 76 and Karras tallied 75.
UChicago ended up shooting 51.7 percent from the field, 40 percent from three-point range (8-20) and 65 percent from the free throw line (13-20). WashU shot 45.9 percent from field, 40 percent from beyond the arc (8-20) and 71.4 percent from the charity stripe (10-14). The Maroons outrebounded the Bears 38-30. Turnovers went in favor of WashU 14-11.