From Case Western Reserve University Athletics
The University of Chicago women's basketball team stepped on the gas midway through the second half and came away with a 74-59 victory against Case Western Reserve University on Friday.
The Maroons (11-6 overall, 5-1 UAA) beat their fifth-straight opponent by double digits. The Spartans fell to 7-10 overall and 1-5 in the University Athletic Association (UAA).
UChicago started the game with three turnovers in the opening three minutes. Case took advantage and went ahead 13-9 after seven-plus minutes of play. Then the Maroons stepped back and started nailing three-pointers. Senior guard Morgan Donovan hit a pair of treys in opposite corners on consecutive possessions, and UChicago went ahead 15-13.
Threes by sophomore guard Stephanie Anderson and freshman guard Elizabeth Nye pushed the score to 25-21. The home side was humming away on offense, shooting over 60 percent from the field for much of the half. Senior forward Claire Devaney scored four-straight points in unusual fashion at 33-23. Devaney made a layup and was fouled in the process. She missed the ensuing free throw, but the Maroons rebounded the ball and fed Devaney right away for another layup in close.
After a shooting slump in the last few minutes, UChicago went into the halftime break with a 37-31 lead. Nye was aggressive with a pair of three-pointers and 12 total points in the half. Donovan provided 10 points of her own.
Case began the second half with a five-minute scoring drought, allowing UChicago to expand the lead to 43-31. Donovan's pull-up jumper and senior forward Ellie Greiner's three-pointer put the home team up 48-36. However, the Spartans started coming back with good ball movement and threes of their own. The visitors shook UChicago off its defensive assignments and created multiple open shots that they converted.
With the lead chopped all the way down to two points, the Maroons buckled down and executed. A 12-0 run put the team back in the driver's seat at 62-48. Devaney and junior guard Caitlin Moore contributed four points each to the streak. With the game in hand, Donovan provided the final flourish with a layup while drawing a foul at 71-57.
Nye led the team with a career-high 19 points, making 7 of 8 free throws in the process. Donovan added 17 points of her own and Devaney put up 16 points. Case held a narrow rebounding advantage 37-36, while UChicago had 19 turnovers compared to 22 by the Spartans.
UChicago Team Stats & Leaders
Field-goal Percentage – 45.8 percent (27-59)
Three-point Percentage – 33.3 percent (6-18)
Free-throw Percentage – 77.8 percent (14-18)
Elizabeth Nye (Guard, Fr.) – 19 points, 4 assists
Morgan Donovan (Guard, Sr.) – 17 points, 5 rebounds
Claire Devaney (Forward, Sr.) – 16 points, 6 rebounds
CWRU Team Stats & Leaders
Field-goal Percentage – 38.6 percent (22-57)
Three-point Percentage – 38.5 percent (5-13)
Free-throw Percentage – 62.5 percent (10-16)
Berit Eppard – 12 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals
Kara Hageman – 12 points, 6 rebounds