From University of Chicago Athletics

The University of Chicago women's basketball team jumped out to a big lead and led wire-to-wire to beat Emory University 70-57 on Sunday.

The Maroons improved to 8-6 overall and 2-1 in the UAA. The Eagles fell to 8-6 overall and 0-3 in conference.

Senior forward Ellie Greiner started the game with a three-pointer in the corner, and UChicago sped out from there. Senior guard Morgan Donovan then tallied five-straight points, including an and-one. The Maroons kept scoring in the paint and led 16-2 after seven-and-a-half minutes. The home side harassed Emory with aggressive defending and the Eagles went 1-for-8 on field goals with five turnovers in that time period.

The visitors then employed a full-court press and started to slowly get back into the game by forcing turnovers in the back court. Two layups from sophomore guard Stephanie Anderson and a three-pointer by senior forward Claire Devaney made the score 30-18. UChicago continued to deliver high-pressure defense on the perimeter and forced 13 turnovers.

Donovan converted another three-point play on a drive to the paint and the Maroons led 37-26 at halftime. UChicago made 50 percent of their field goals, but turned the ball over 13 times. Donovan's eight points led the way. Emory was held to 36 percent shooting in the half.

In the second half, the Eagles leaned heavily on leading scorer Khadijah Sayyid to generate looks. Sayyid lost defenders around screens, drove the lane constantly and made all four of her three-point attempts. She tallied 19 of her game-high 23 points in the second half. Sayyid's four-point play cut the deficit to 44-36.

Stout defense got the visitors back into the game as the Eagles trailed by only three points with eight minutes in regulation. The Maroons promptly responded by scoring the next seven points, with Donovan providing five of them. That run kept UChicago in the driver's seat and free throw shooting did the rest. The home side made seven free throws in the last 90 seconds to clinch the win. The Maroon defense also only gave up two points in the final two minutes.

UChicago led Emory in rebounds 33-25 while the two teams combined for 50 turnovers. However, the Maroons took advantage more often on the miscues, leading the points off turnovers category 27-16. The home team also got 34 points from its bench unit.

UChicago Team Stats & Leaders
Field-goal Percentage – 48.9 percent (22-45)
Three-point Percentage – 29.4 percent (5-17)
Free-throw Percentage – 75.0 percent (21-28)
Morgan Donovan (Guard, Sr.) – 17 points, 5 rebounds
Caitlin Moore (Guard, Jr.) – 11 points
Hannah Ballard (Forward, Sr.) – 9 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals

Emory Team Stats & Leaders
Field-goal Percentage – 40.8 percent (20-49)
Three-point Percentage – 66.7 percent (8-12)
Free-throw Percentage – 64.3 percent (9-14)
Khadijah Sayyid – 23 points, 4 steals
Shellie Kaniut – 12 rebounds