From University of Chicago Athletics
The University of Chicago women's basketball team broke out of its offensive funk in a big way with a dominating 88-59 victory over Hendrix College on Saturday at the University of Texas-Dallas Classic.
The Maroons head into the conference portion of their schedule with a 7-4 record. The Warriors dropped to 5-5.
With the 29-point victory, UChicago has now beaten six opponents by at least 28 points this season. The offense surpassed 80 points for the sixth time as well. The Maroons snapped a three-game losing streak in which they were averaging 51.3 points per game.
The shots were falling from all over the floor for UChicago on Saturday. Overall, the team converted 52.4 percent of its field goals and swished a season-high 12 three-pointers on 26 attempts (46.2 percent).
A pair of three-pointers courtesy of junior guard Elizabeth Nye and freshman forward Taylor Lake gave UChicago a 10-5 advantage. It was just the start of a massive 22-4 run in a five-minute stretch of the opening quarter. Sophomore guard Jamie Kockenmeister was a big contributor in that time with eight points, including a pair of threes.
Early in the second quarter, UChicago's lead ballooned to 21 points at 31-10. The two teams exchanged buckets from that point on and the Maroons led comfortably 46-28 at halftime, thanks to Nye's three-pointer in the waning seconds. A balanced scoring effort produced eight points each from Kockenmeister, Lake and sophomore forward Olariche Obi.
Hendrix threatened to cut the deficit to single digits twice in the third quarter. But each time, the Maroons had a three-point answer via junior guard Madison Dunbar and Lake. Eight points in the last minute of the quarter boosted UChicago's margin up to 69-46.
In the fourth quarter, the Maroons took their biggest lead of the day at 84-48 thanks to a 15-2 run that put the game away.
Turnovers were a big factor in the game as UChicago forced 22 while only committing 11 of its own. The active defense snagged 15 steals compared to only three by the Warriors. Rebounds went to the Maroons, 38-31.
Obi recorded her first double-double of the season with 16 points and 10 rebounds. She also added four steals and two blocks in a complete effort in the paint. Lake and Nye posted 14 points and 10 points, respectively, off the bench.