UChicago Women’s Basketball Dominates Second Half Against UW–Whitewater to Advance to Sweet Sixteen
The 17th-ranked University of Chicago women's basketball team rallied from a halftime deficit with a dominant second half to defeat University of Wisconsin–Whitewater, 62–46, on Saturday evening to advance to the round of Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA tournament. The Maroons took home the win, outscoring the Warhawks 41–18 over the final two quarters to pull away late.
UChicago settled in after a slow offensive start in the first quarter. After falling behind early, the Maroons got on the board when Chris Sanders knocked down a three-pointer from the wing off an assist from Alexis Clark. A few minutes later, Bri Simpson converted on a putback and another basket in the paint, while Kate Gross added a late jumper to trim the deficit to 11–9 at the end of the first period.
The Warhawks stretched their lead in the second quarter, building a nine-point advantage late in the quarter. Simpson and Clark each scored inside during the frame to keep the game within reach, but UW–Whitewater held a 28–21 lead heading into halftime.
UChicago came out firing after the break. Simpson opened the third quarter with a layup before Clark added a basket and a free throw to cut the deficit. Sanders then fueled the fire with a tip-in and a jumper to tie the game at 28–28 midway through the period. As the momentum built, Clark followed with a layup to give the Maroons their first lead since the opening minutes, and Zora Burrell added a pull up jumper to keep the momentum going.
After the teams briefly traded the lead, UChicago closed the third quarter with a dominant run. Sanders put down a pair of free throws and Gross buried a three off a Sanders assist to help the Maroons take a one-point lead into the final frame.
The Maroons took full control in the fourth quarter behind their lockdown defense and sharp shooting. Simpson knocked down two from the charity stripe before Sanders connected on a jumper and then buried back-to-back threes to cap a 10–0 run that pushed the UChicago lead to double digits.
The Maroons' defense locked in from there, holding the Warhawks to just one field goal in the quarter. Simpson added another layup late, and Kasi Samuda converted an and-one opportunity in the final minute before Sanders sealed the scoring with a late layup to complete the 62–46 victory.
Sanders led all scorers with a new career-high 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting, including three from beyond the arc. Simpson recorded a double-double with 16 points and a game-high 11 rebounds, while Caroline Workman added 10 rebounds to help the Maroons dominate the glass 47–30. Clark and Gross combined for 12 to contribute to the Maroons offensive effort.
With the win, UChicago advances to its first Sweet Sixteen since 2023.