UChicago Downs Penn State Behrend for First NCAA Tournament Win Since 2001
The sixth-ranked University of Chicago men's basketball team earned a 72-48 victory over Penn State Behrend on Friday night in the opening round of the NCAA tournament. The win is the first NCAA tournament victory for the Maroons since defeating Lewis & Clark in the Round of 16 in 2001.
The Maroons exploded out of the locker room with the first nine points of the game, and after the Lions made a run to cut into the lead, UChicago answered with a 13-0 run to stretch the lead to 29-11 with three minutes remaining in the half. UChicago would enter the locker room with an 18-point lead, holding the Lions to just 15 total points in the half. The 15 first-half points allowed by UChicago are the fewest since they allowed 17 in the 85-51 win over Washington College in 2019.
UChicago opened the second half with a three from Daniel Cochran on the opening possession to stretch the lead to 21, but the Lions would not go away with a 14-3 run to cut the lead to 10 with 16 minutes remaining.
Despite the early Penn State Behrend flurry, UChicago would respond with an 18-4 run of their own to grow the lead to 25 at 60-35, and they would cruise to an early 72-48 win on their home floor.
Daniel Cochran led the team with 17 points on 5-8 shooting from long range, and Phillip Lawrence added 14 points off the bench. Joe Berry also finished in double figures with 11 points, and Shane Regan tallied 6 points, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds.
With a win, the Maroons improve to 22-4 on the season. UChicago will return to its home floor on Saturday for the Regional Final matchup with #24 Otterbein at 7:10 PM.