From University of Chicago Athletics
The No. 19-ranked University of Chicago women's basketball team raced out to a big lead and cruised to a 75-46 victory over No. 23-ranked University of Texas-Dallas on Tuesday.
The Maroons improved to 4-0 on the season and dealt the Comets (3-1) their first loss. It was the first-ever meeting between the two teams.
UChicago led wire-to-wire in the game. Freshman guard Katrina Williams hit a three-pointer on the team's first possession and the Maroons never looked back. They scored 25 points in the opening quarter, which was bookended by another three by Williams in the final seconds. A 15-2 run put the home team firmly in control.
After leading scorer Elizabeth Nye picked up two fouls, sophomore Madison Dunbar stepped in and caught fire offensively. The point guard hit 6 of 7 shots in the half and tallied 14 points in that time frame. She grabbed several offensive rebounds and scored put-backs thanks to good positioning and quickness.
In the second quarter, freshman forward Olariche Obi tallied six-straight points in one stretch to push the lead to 36-16. Another UChicago three-pointer – this time by junior guard Stephanie Anderson – came with one second left in the half. UChicago went into the break with a 41-20 advantage.
UChicago was thrown off its game defensively in the third quarter as a plethora of foul calls were made, forcing multiple substitutions. But the Maroons did not lose any ground and headed into the fourth quarter with a 59-38 lead.
Texas-Dallas utilized an aggressive zone defense against UChicago and it was effective for many possessions. The home team stayed patient and kept probing around with passes to find an opening deep into the shot clock. Frequently, the Maroons struck pay dirt in the waning seconds of the possession, both with nifty interior passing and on kickouts to the arc. UChicago's shooters made the Comets pay by hitting a season-high nine triples on only 18 attempts (50 percent).
On the other end, the Maroons did not allow a three-pointer for the second-consecutive game. Texas-Dallas came up empty from deep, shooting 0-for-10. UChicago opponents are only making 19 percent from beyond the arc so far this season.
Sophomore guard Katie Anderson provided some highlights in the fourth quarter. She nailed one trey on the opening possession and was then fouled on another, earning three free throws. Anderson sunk all three and ended up with eight points off the bench.
Dunbar led all scorers with a career-high 16 points. Obi contributed 11 points, 8 rebounds and two blocked shots. The duo helped the home side rack up 42 points from the reserves. Williams, Stephanie Anderson and senior guard Caitlin Moore all ended up with nine points each.
UChicago shot an efficient 53 percent on field goals and 89 percent on free throws in the game. Texas-Dallas was limited to 33 percent on its field goal attempts.
Rebounds ended up even at 29-29, with Texas-Dallas leading offensive boards 16-11. The Comets had 24 turnovers and the Maroons committed 23.
UChicago Team Stats & Leaders
Field-goal Percentage – 53.2 percent (25-47)
Three-point Percentage – 50.0 percent (9-18)
Free-throw Percentage – 88.9 percent (16-18)
Madison Dunbar (Guard, So.) – 16 points, 3 steals, 3 rebounds
Olariche Obi (Forward, Fr.) – 11 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks