From University of Chicago Athletics

The University of Chicago women's basketball team closed out the first half strong and went on to cruise past Carnegie Mellon University 75-56 on Sunday.

The Maroons won their eight-straight game to improve to 14-6 overall and 8-1 in conference play. The Tartans dropped to 11-9 overall and 2-7 in the University Athletic Association (UAA).

Carnegie Mellon drew ahead 10-4, and UChicago quickly responded with six-straight points. Senior forward Hannah Ballard made a layup and a free throw for a three-point play, followed by a long-range jumper from senior forward Ellie Greiner.

With a narrow 21-18 lead, the Maroons closed out the first half with 19-6 run. The visitors made sure senior forward Claire Devaney got plenty of touches and Devaney delivered with 13 points and seven rebounds in the half. UChicago headed into halftime with a 40-24 lead on 40 percent shooting while limiting Carnegie Mellon to 30 percent shooting. The Maroons also held a 23-13 rebounding edge.

In the second half, UChicago continued to lead by a comfortable double-digit margin the whole way. The Maroon bench chipped in all game long, outscoring the Tartan reserves 26-7. Greiner made a trio of three-pointers to post 11 points off the bench. Devaney paced the starters 21 points and 10 rebounds – her second double-double of the year.

The rebounding category finished even at 40-40. Carnegie Mellon turned the ball over 19 times and UChicago had 12 turnovers. The two sides combined for 15 blocks defensively. This is the tenth time this year that the Maroons have won by at least 10 points.

UChicago Team Stats & Leaders
Field-goal Percentage – 41.9 percent (26-62)
Three-point Percentage – 33.3 percent (6-18)
Free-throw Percentage – 81.1 percent (17-21)
Claire Devaney (Forward, Sr.) – 21 points, 10 rebounds
Ellie Greiner (Forward, Sr.) – 11 points
Stephanie Anderson (Guard, So.) – 9 points, 9 rebounds, 3 steals

Carnegie Mellon Team Stats & Leaders
Field-goal Percentage – 32.8 percent (20-61)
Three-point Percentage – 14.3 percent (2-14)
Free-throw Percentage – 93.3 percent (14-15)
Lisa Murphy – 19 points, 12 rebounds, 6 blocks
Liza Otto – 11 points, 10 rebounds