From University of Chicago Athletics

Crisp ball movement and efficient shooting from deep gave the University of Chicago women's basketball team an 84-77 win against Carnegie Mellon University on Sunday.

The Maroons (12-6 overall, 6-1 UAA) stretched their win streak to six-straight games. The Tartans dropped to 11-7 and 2-5 in conference action.

Carnegie Mellon scored the opening seven points of the game to take control. Both offenses took some time to get rolling as the two sides combined to shoot 6-for-22 on field goals through six-and-a-half minutes. But UChicago kept the pressure on by weaving quick passes all across the court, eventually making some quality interior passes that led to layups. The Maroons clogged the lane in an attempt to neutralize leading scorer Lisa Murphy and forced turnovers in the process.

Sophomore forward Britta Nordstrom scored with her left hand in close at 18-11 and then stepped outside to hit an open three-pointer at 21-14. Senior forward Claire Devaney followed right up with a three and then sank a jumper at the end of the shot clock to push the score to 26-17. Devaney scored a lefty layup sandwiched in between a pair of three-pointers by senior guard Morgan Donovan. Another three, this time from sophomore guard Stephanie Anderson, gave UChicago a 44-31 halftime lead.

The Maroons made 7 of 14 from three-point range in the first half and shot 48.6 percent from the field overall. Devaney scored 13 points in the half and senior forward Ali Shaw added eight points. CMU's Lindsay Poss had 13 points of her own.

Both sides were making shots right out of the gate in the second half. Donovan made a three-pointer at 49-35 and again at 54-43. Anderson yanked the ball on defense and sprinted the other way for a fast-break layup soon after. The Tartans made a quick 6-0 run to get back within 11 points midway through the half. But the Maroons did not let the visitors get within five points down the stretch.

UChicago collected nine offensive rebounds in the second half, scoring putbacks and drawing fouls along the way. Senior forward Hannah Ballard scored eight points operating in the paint during the period and Nordstrom snagged five offensive boards herself. Donovan displayed scoring touch once again with 12 of her 18 points in the half. She has scored at least 16 points in four of her past five games.

The Maroons won the battle on the boards (35-33) and in the turnovers category (12-16). UChicago's bench also held a sizable 36-7 bench scoring advantage.

UChicago Team Stats & Leaders
Field-goal Percentage – 42.9 percent (30-70)
Three-point Percentage – 42.9 percent (12-28)
Free-throw Percentage – 85.7 percent (12-14)
Morgan Donovan (Guard, Sr.) – 18 points, 4 assists
Claire Devaney (Forward, Sr.) – 15 points
Hannah Ballard (Forward, Sr.) – 12 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists

Carnegie Mellon Team Stats & Leaders
Field-goal Percentage – 51.9 percent (28-54)
Three-point Percentage – 44.4 percent (4-9)
Free-throw Percentage – 85.0 percent (17-20)
Lindsay Poss – 21 points, 11 rebounds
Lisa Murphy – 19 points, 7 rebounds