From University of Chicago Athletics
Make it 17 wins in a row for the No. 12 University of Chicago women's basketball team, as the Maroons downed New York University on the road Friday in league play, 59-47.
UChicago (19-2 overall) remained perfect in University Athletic Association play, as the Maroons maintain a three-game lead in the league standings with four games remaining.
Sophomores Taylor Lake and Mia Farrell each scored 14 points with Lake earning the double-double with 11 rebounds. Classmate Miranda Burt chipped in 13 points and junior Olariche Obi added eight points and 12 boards to lead the Maroons.
Although the visitors struggled from the field at 35 percent (21-of-60), UChicago overcame it with its trademark stingy defense, holding the Violets (12-9, 5-5) to just 30 percent from the floor (18-of-60). NYU scored only nine points per quarter until making a late surge in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Maroons, 20-15.
UChicago led 31-18 at the half, trailing just once in the game when the Violets' Cassidy Fontanta made two free-throws at the 9:07 mark of the first quarter. The Maroons dominated inside early and senior Elizabeth Nye capped the first frame with a triple to give UChicago a 14-9 lead after one.
An Obi layup and Burt 3-pointer in the third quarter's first two minutes pushed that margin to the Maroons' largest lead at 18, 36-18. Farrell would go on to drain a 3 to cap the third and make the score 44-27 heading into the final frame. A 9-0 run by the Violets cut that lead to eight, 44-36, but Lake would hit a clutch triple to stall the run and bring the lead back to double-digits.
Lake and Farrell came up with several big shots down the stretch and Farrell and Burt closed things out at the free-throw line to seal the team's 17th straight victory.
The Maroons edged NYU on the boards, 49-43, and used a slight advantage at the 3-point line to their benefit, making 6-of-16 (37.5 percent) while holding the Violets to just 3-of-14 (21.4 percent) shooting.
First-year Marissa Igunbor chipped in five points and five boards and Farrell added seven rebounds and four assists in an all-around effort.
Kaitlyn Read was the lone NYU player in double-figures with 19 points on 7-of-18 shooting.