UChicago Earns Road Victory over Wheaton to Open 2026
The #21 University of Chicago women's basketball team turned a tight early contest into a convincing road win, offensively exploding in the second and third quarters. With the 65-47 victory, the Maroons extend their win streak to four before heading into their first weekend of UAA conference play.
After Wheaton took a brief one-point lead late in the opening quarter, UChicago answered behind its bench. Upon entering the game in the fifth minute, Annabelle Spotts scored eight consecutive points, highlighted by a fast-break layup off a steal and a jumper in the lane, helping the Maroons keep pace as they finished down by one after the first.
Momentum shifted early in the second quarter. Spotts opened the scoring for UChicago, knocking down a pair of free throws, and Bri Simpson followed with a layup in traffic to take hold of the lead for good. With less than four seconds left, Spotts drilled a three to cap off a Maroons' 16-6 scoring run, giving them a 10-point lead at half.
The Maroons continued to build separation in the third quarter. Kasi Samuda scored inside and converted two free throws early, and Chris Sanders knocked down a three-pointer at the 5:16 mark to stretch the lead to 13. After Wheaton trimmed the deficit to seven midway through the quarter, UChicago found its scorers with the hot hand to respond. Sanders and Kate Gross nailed back-to-back threes, pushing the margin back to double digits.
Simpson closed the third with a driving layup, giving the Maroons a 52–38 cushion entering the final period.
UChicago put the game away early in the fourth. Spotts opened the quarter with a jumper in the paint, and Lindsey Carter followed with a pull-up jumper off an assist from Caroline Workman. Simpson added two free throws to extend the lead to 58–40, and Gross later scored inside to make it a 21-point game.
The Maroons' defense shone throughout the game, holding Wheaton to just nine points on 23% shooting in the fourth to seal the win.
Spotts led UChicago with 15 points off the bench, while Simpson added 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting. Sanders finished with 11 points and three assists, as Samuda recorded seven points and a team-high nine rebounds.
UChicago dominated the glass, 46–28, and scored 34 points in the paint, fueling them to victory.
The Maroons improve to 8-2 on the season.