Defense Shines as UChicago Opens Season with Win
The University of Chicago women's basketball took down St. Norbert on Friday night for a win in its 2025-26 season opener.
The first quarter started back and forth with neither team able to take a multiple possession led, but the Maroons would open the second quarter with a 6-0 run to take control late in the half. A pair of layups inside by Annabelle Spotts and Chris Sanders would lead the Maroons to a five-point lead at the halftime break.
A 11-3 run in the first three minutes of the second half vaulted the Maroons in front, and they would stretch the advantage to 14 late in the third quarter at 42-28.
The Green Knights would not go away quietly, however, as they went on a 17-4 run of their own to cut the lead to one with under four minutes to play in the final period. A layup by Sanders and a pair of free throws by Spotts would get the lead back to five, and a pair of defensive stops, including a steal by Kasi Samuda, would seal the 54-49 victory for the Maroons.
Spotts led the team with 14 points, and Sanders also finished in double figures with 10 points. Samuda and Caroline Workman led the Maroons with six rebounds each in the win.
Defensively, UChicago held the Green Knights to just 35% shooting from the field and 28% shooting from three, and they forced 17 St. Norbert turnovers.
With the win, the Maroons improve to 1-0 on the season. UChicago returns to action on Saturday, November 8, as the team takes on #3 UW-Oshkosh at 1 PM in the second game of the Nicolet National Bank Tip-Off Invitational.