From Case Western Reserve University Athletics
Case Western Reserve University junior forward Kara Hageman matched her career-high with 28 points, and senior guard Jess McCoy scored 14 points and collected a career-high 15 rebounds to help lead the Spartans to an 80-78 win over the University of Chicago on Friday night at historic Adelbert Gymnasium.
Celebrating 'Throwback Weekend,' as the team donned jerseys from Mather College and played in the University's original gymnasium, the Spartans improved to 3-3 in the University Athletic Association with the win, and raised their record to 11-6 overall. Chicago, which entered the day leading the conference, dropped to 11-6 overall and into a four-way tie for first in the UAA with a 4-2 conference mark.
Hageman hit nine-of-15 shots from the floor, including a season-high four three pointers on six attempts, adding six rebounds in the game. McCoy picked up her fourth double-double of the season and third in her last four games, while the 14 points pulled her within four of 1,000 for her career.
Sophomore forward Hillary Hellmann added 13 points and seven rebounds in the game, and freshman guard Alicia Marie Gonzales notched a career-high with 12 points.
In a tightly-played first half, freshman guard Marissa Muth came off the bench to give the Spartans an early 7-6 lead with a three-pointer at the 4:28 mark in the first quarter. A second three by Hageman on the next possession gave CWRU a 10-6 lead, but Chicago would rally back to take a 14-12 lead by the end of the first quarter. The game remained within three points either direction for most of the second quarter, until a 6-0 run put the Spartans up 33-29 with 42 second left, before a late three by Chicago's Miranda Burt cut the lead to one by the half.
The first half featured seven ties and eight lead changes. Gonzales surpassed her single-game high with eight points in the first half alone, while Hageman and Hellmann each added eight as well for the Spartans in the opening 20 minutes of play.
After the Spartans grabbed a one-point lead on a free throw by junior guard Alex Roth with 3:42 remaining in the third, Chicago went on a 8-0 to gain a seven point advantage, its largest of the game. The Maroons outscored the Spartans 24-16 in the third quarter, taking a 56-49 lead into the fourth quarter. The Spartans quickly went to work in the fourth quarter, scoring the first seven points of the period and evening the score on a layup by Hageman with 8:20 to play. The teams would jockey back-and-forth for the lead for the next few minutes, until the Spartans took the lead for good on a Hageman three-point shot with 4:09 to play that put CWRU on top 68-66.
Case Western Reserve's lead grew to as many as seven, as the Spartans led 79-72 with 1:25 to play following a layup by Gonzales. Chicago cut the lead down to two with 42 seconds left on an Elizabeth Nye three, and Chicago had two late chances to tie the score, but could not convert, as the Spartans held on for the key conference victory.
The Spartans finished the game shooting 45.0% from the field, including a 53.6% mark in the second half of the game.
Britta Nordstrom led Chicago in the game with 20 points, while Taylor Lake finished with 12 points and 16 rebounds for the Maroons.
Friday's win also marked the 118th of Head Coach Jennifer Reimer's career, pulling her within two of the program's all-time record.