UChicago Routs Gustavus Adolphus to Advance in NCAA Tournament
The 17th-ranked University of Chicago women's basketball team routed Gustavus Adolphus in the first round of the NCAA tournament, securing a 60-44 victory. In the dominant win, the Maroons improve to 18-7 and advance to the second round tomorrow night.
UChicago came out strong, quickly setting the tone with their defense as they held Gustavus to only six points in the opening quarter. The Maroons forced several turnovers while as Bri Simpson converted on a fastbreak layup to put UChicago on the board. UChicago quickly got hot on offense as Chris Sanders buried an early three-pointer, to extend the lead to five. By the end of the first quarter, UChicago had established a solid 17-6 lead.
In the second period, the Maroons' defense continued to frustrate the Gusties, while their offense found a rhythm. Kasi Samuda crashed the board to putback an opportunity for the Maroons. Fouls and free throws kept Gustavus in the game, but each time UChicago found a way to respond As the Gusties cut the lead to seven. Zora Burrell lit up the Maroons offense, scoring five points, including an and-one, in the next three minutes to put the lead back to double-digits. At the half, the Maroons were leading 31-19.
UChicago's dominant third quarter put the game out of reach. The Maroons exploded offensively, pushing their lead to as much as 24 points. As Alexis Clark jumped out the half scoring on back-to-back layups in the paint. UChicago's defense remained suffocating, with Simpson and Burrell securing key rebounds and disrupting the Gusties offensive flow. By the end of the third quarter, UChicago held a commanding 55-31 advantage.
As Gustavus remained active in the fourth, UChicago never let up. The Gusties struggled to find offensive rhythm and the Maroons kept control of the tempo. Spotts capitalized on crucial buckets in the paint, while a three from Kate Gross sealed the win.
Sanders led the way with 14 points, including four made three-pointers, while Clark contributed 11 points and six rebounds. Burrell added 12 points and four rebounds, and Spotts finished with nine points and five rebounds.