The University of Chicago women’s basketball team blew past the competition this weekend, remaining perfect in conference play (13–2, 5–0 UAA) with an 82–62 victory at Carnegie Mellon (CMU) and a 91–46 victory at Case Western. UChicago went off in both games during the second half, maintaining their winning streak at 12 games.
In their match against CMU, the first quarter remained close with the Maroons leading 12–11. The second quarter continued with UChicago eventually extending the lead to a 32–16 margin. In a quarter where the Maroons scored 24 points, half of the points scored came from second-year Taylor Lake and third-year Olariche Obi. CMU tried to lower the deficit and scored six points to make the score 36–22 at the half.
Although the Maroons opened the third quarter strong, going on a 9–3 run to extend the lead to 17, the Tartans made a comeback, going on a 28–11 run that tied the game at 56–56 with 9:10 remaining in the fourth quarter.
UChicago’s path to victory started with a layup from second-year Mia Farrell. First-year Marissa Igunbor also played a pivotal role, making shots in the paint that helped secure a victory for the Maroons. She totaled 15 points in just 17 minutes, securing baskets on the 26–8 run UChicago had. Obi was a force to be reckoned with, totaling 20 points, five assists, 10 rebounds, six steals, and three blocks. The Maroons outscored their opponents in the paint 52–18 and had a strong showing from the bench, who outscored the Tartans by a 28–17 margin.
The Maroons’ matchup against Case Western proved to be one of the most dominant performances they’ve had all season. This was the eighth time the Maroons have beaten an opponent by 20 points or more.
It was a game where the Maroons outscored the Spartans throughout each quarter. Seven minutes into the second half, the Maroons had a 69–29 advantage. The Maroons were efficient from the field, shooting 50.7 percent (37 out of 73 field goals), as opposed to their opponents, who shot 35.3 percent (18 out of 51 field goals). Farrell was a perfect example of the efficiency of the team, scoring 24 points by making 10 out of 13 field goals, and among those four three-pointers.
Obi tallied her fourth-straight double-double, with 12 points and 10 rebounds. In just 13 minutes played, second-year Miranda Burt scored 14 points. The Maroons took advantage of the 28 turnovers the Spartans had and scored 31 points from turnovers.
When asked about the significance of these blowout victories and if there is room for improvement, Burt said, “We really try to play our best game, regardless of our opponent. Even when we have blowout wins on the scoreboard, we still come into practice the next day with much to work and improve on. It does help our confidence, winning this well and going on this win streak. We know if we hit a rough patch, we can definitely play better and quickly get out of it. It’s a huge confidence booster as well, going in to playing two top teams in the UAA the next two weekends.”
The Maroons will face off against Emory University on January 26 at 6 p.m. EST.
