UChicago Upends Calvin for Big Top-25 Road Win
The University of Chicago women's basketball team earned a huge top-25 road win on Saturday afternoon, taking down #25 Calvin 73-65 in overtime in Grand Rapids. The win is the first top-25 road win for the Maroons since they took down #14 Wheaton (IL) on November 20, 2019.
The Maroons started hot on both sides of the court with a 12-4 advantage in the first five minutes of the game thanks to four points from both Bri Simpson and Ruiqi Liu. Calvin would cut into the lead late in the quarter, but a Chris Sanders fastbreak layup gave UChicago a 14-10 lead after the opening 10 minutes.
UChicago would then open the second quarter with an 8-2 to run, capped by a pair of jumpers by Alexis Clark and Annabelle Spotts, to stretch the lead to ten, the largest of the half. The Knights continued to fight back with a 9-0 run of their own, but Lindsey Carter and Caroline Workman would each hit shots to extend the lead back to six. The Maroons would then finish the half with a 31-25 advantage heading into the locker room.
The Maroons would open the second half with a jumper by Kate Gross and a three-point make by Bri Simpson to give UChicago an 11-point lead at 36-25. However, Calvin would continue to fight back with a 19-7 run to take their first lead of the game at 44-43 with one minute remaining in the quarter. After a pair of free throws by Annabelle Spotts, the Knights would end the quarter with a jumper of their own and take a one-point lead into the fourth.
A layup to start the quarter would give the Knights their largest lead of the game, but a Lindsey Carter jumper and a three by Chris Sanders put the Maroons back in front by two at 50-48. The Maroons were able to keep the advantage for the majority of the final quarter, and another big three by Bri Simpson would stretch the lead to five at 61-56 with under two minutes to go. However, the Knights would lock in down te stretch, holding the Maroons without a point in the last 2:37 of the game, to send the game to overtime at 61-61.
In overtime, both teams would trade baskets over the first two minutes of the period, and a jumper by Kate Gross would put the Maroons back in front at 67-65 with 2:51 remaining. From that point on, the UChicago defense dominated, holding the Knights without a point on 0-7 shooting in the final three minutes of the game, and the Maroons sealed the victory with clutch free throw shooting down the stretch for the 73-65 victory.
Chris Sanders led the team with 16 points on 4-8 shooting, and Annabelle Spotts and Bri Simpson each added 14 points as well. Lindsey Carter also added 10 points with a team-high 7 rebounds, and Caroline Workman had a stat-stuffing performance with five points, five rebounds, and a team-high four assists off the bench.
With the win, the Maroons improve to 5-2 on the season.