From University of Chicago Athletics
Jake Fenlon caught fire from deep early in the second half to put the University of Chicago men's basketball team up by double digits, and the home team cruised from there to beat Kalamazoo College 75-56 on Saturday.
The Maroons evened up their record at 3-3 and the Hornets fell to 1-5.
Kalamazoo edged ahead 16-13 after the opening nine minutes of game time. That proved to be the visitors' last lead of the game. Junior guard Noah Karras sank a three to tie the score up and four points by junior forward Ryan Jacobsen made it 20-16. UChicago continued to find success in the post with Sam Sustacek – the sophomore forward tallied six points in-a-row at 26-18.
UChicago flexed its muscle in the paint all game. With Kalamazoo's main post threat saddled with foul trouble, the Maroon forwards crashed the boards with abandon. For the game, the home side held a massive 52-30 rebounding edge, including 21-6 on the offensive boards. Jacobsen put up eight of his 10 points in the first half, and UChicago led 35-26 at halftime.
Kalamazoo got on an offensive roll to start the second half by scoring eight-straight points. Clinging to a one-point lead, the Maroons turned to Fenlon. The senior guard started flying around screens and pulling up for three-pointer after three-pointer. He sank four straight from beyond the arc in a one-minute span, with all assists courtesy of sophomore point guard Jordan Baum.
By the time the Hornets caught their breath from the onslaught, the Maroons had completed an 18-5 run to seize control of the game for good at 53-39. UChicago led by at least nine points for the duration of the game.
Fenlon scored 20 of his game-high 22 points in the second half, swishing 6 of 10 threes in the period. Baum set a new career-best with 10 assists, while also submitting a well-rounded effort with seven rebounds, four steals and three points. His assist total marked the most by a Maroon since Tyler Howard's 10 in February 2015.
Jacobsen and Sustacek submitted 10 points each and a combined 12 rebounds.
The Maroons shot 36.8 percent on their field goals, including 34.3 percent from three-point range (12-35). They attempted 16 more free throws than Kalamazoo.
The Hornets shot 40 percent overall and 30 percent on threes (6-20). The two squads committed a combined 34 turnovers.