No. 18 UChocago Holds Off Rochester in UAA Matchup
The 17th-ranked University of Chicago women's basketball team earned a hard-fought victory over the University of Rochester on Friday night at the Ratner Athletics Center, improving to 12–4 overall and 4–2 in UAA play. The Maroons took down the Yellowjackets 60-53 in the win.
Rochester jumped out early, opening the game on a 13–3 run. Bri Simpson and Kate Gross converted on two layups to put UChicago on the board and cut the deficit to six. Despite the push, Rochester held onto the lead, taking an 18–15 edge after one.
Less than 30 seconds into the second quarter, Simpson found her way into the lane and cut the Yellowjackets' lead to one. Alexis Clark scored on an and-one through contact a few plays later, and the Maroons began to find their offensive rhythm. Clark converted on the free throw and put UChicago up by two. That ignited an 8-2 run that saw four different Maroons score, forcing Rochester to take a timeout with less than six minutes to play in the first half. Before halftime, the Yellowjackets were able to cut it to four, but UChicago took the 3-27 lead into the break.
UChicago stretched the margin in the third, opening the half with aggressive play on both ends of the floor. Chris Sanders and Gross scored the next six points for UChicago, giving them a 37-28 lead, its' biggest in the game.
Simpson then found Karen Xin to convert on a three and swing the momentum all the way in favor of the Maroons. The Yellowjackets clawed their way back and found themselves down by nine at the end of the third.
Rochester cut the deficit to five midway through the final frame, but the Maroons found a way to respond. Clark scored on consecutive possessions inside to rebuild the cushion, and Simpson added another layup to make it 53–43 with just over five minutes remaining. Rochester closed in within three in the final two minutes, but Gross delivered in the closing stretch, sealing the game at the free-throw line in the final seconds.
Gross led all scorers with 15 points, three rebounds, and an assist in 33 minutes of play. Simpson added 11 off the bench on 5-of-9 shooting. Clark and Spotts contributed eight points a piece, as the senior Clark pulled down a team-high eight rebounds. Freshman Karen Xin chipped in six points on an almost perfect 2-for-3 effort from beyond the arc.