From University of Chicago Athletics

The University of Chicago women's basketball team celebrated its six seniors and went on to clinch at least a share of the conference title with a 66-55 win against No. 11-ranked New York University on Sunday.

The Maroons (18-6 overall, 12-1 UAA) have won 12-straight games and still occupy first place in the University Athletic Association (UAA) with one game left to play. The league title will be decided next Saturday when UChicago hits the road to play at Washington University-St. Louis. The Violets (20-4, 9-4 UAA) now occupy third place in the conference.

At the beginning of the contest, UChicago brought its six-member senior class onto the court to be honored alongside the parents in attendance. The six seniors include forward Hannah Ballard, forward Claire Devaney, guard Morgan Donovan, forward Ellie Greiner, guard Mary MacLeod and forward Ali Shaw. Over the last four years, the Maroons have an overall record of 67-35 (.657 winning percentage).

Donovan was the sparkplug right from the start. The senior point guard drove the lane constantly and scored 11 of the team's first 13 points. But it was NYU that held the early advantage by scoring in the paint with regularity and beating UChicago's help defense.

Down 16-11, the Maroons scored seven-straight points, capped by freshman guard Elizabeth Nye's three-pointer. Devaney stepped outside to hit a three-pointer at 29-25 and the home team created separation down the stretch. Devaney also swished a short jumper as game clock expired and UChicago took a 41-30 lead into halftime.

The Maroons were very efficient in the first half and shot 51.9 percent on its field goals compared to 39.3 percent by NYU. Donovan tallied 15 points in the half and Nye added eight of her own.

The second half turned into a grind for both offenses. Defense set the pace and the two teams combined to shoot 28 percent in the last 20 minutes (15-54). Sophomore guard Stephanie Anderson tallied four-straight points at 47-35. But UChicago struggled to execute against NYU's full-court trapping press and scored only six points in eight minutes.

NYU's smallest deficit in the second half came at 49-41 with over 11 minutes remaining in the game. A quick 7-0 run added to UChicago's lead, with a pair of layups by Devaney and a three by Nye. Devaney sunk another three from the top of the arc at 63-49 and the Maroons went on to capture their 14th double-digit victory of the year.

Donovan (17), Devaney (16) and Nye (15) all reached double figures in points. UChicago held a narrow edge on the boards, 39-38. The two teams combined for 32 turnovers.

UChicago Team Stats & Leaders
Field-goal Percentage – 38.2 percent (21-55)
Three-point Percentage – 33.3 percent (6-18)
Free-throw Percentage – 81.8 percent (18-22)
Morgan Donovan (Guard, Sr.) – 17 points
Claire Devaney (Forward, Sr.) – 16 points, 9 rebounds
Elizabeth Nye (Guard, Fr.) – 15 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals

NYU Team Stats & Leaders
Field-goal Percentage – 35.2 percent (19-54)
Three-point Percentage – 14.3 percent (2-14)
Free-throw Percentage – 68.2 percent (15-22)
Amy Harioka – 16 points, 6 rebounds
Kaitlyn Read – 10 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals
Megan Dawe – 10 points, 4 rebounds