The No. 19 Maroon women’s basketball team looks to continue its dominant streak this weekend with a pair of challenging games against Emory University and No. 7 University of Rochester. The Maroons maintained their undefeated status and place on top of the UAA rankings with two dominant conference wins this past weekend. 

On Friday, the Maroons fought off Carnegie Mellon 82–62. Chicago had a comfortable advantage for most of the game until the third quarter, in which the Tartans went on a 28–11 run to tie the game at 56–56. This change in momentum only fueled the Maroons’ fire, however, and they snatched that momentum back by going on a huge 26–8 run to close out the game and earn the win. Per usual, multiple players had major performances to lead Chicago to the win. Third-year Olariche Obi burned through the Tartan defense with 20 points, 10 rebounds, and six steals. Second-year Mia Farrell was right behind her with 17 points, and second-year Taylor Lake finished with 14 points. First-year Marissa Igunbor was a force as well with 15 points. 

With the big challenge behind them, the Maroons proceeded to just run through Case Western Reserve University with a 91–46 final score, earning their 12th victory in a row. The team excelled in pretty much all categories. They made 50.7 percent of their field goals and 10 out of 18 field goals along with 28 forced turnovers. The team was never down during the game. Farrell was kryptonite to the Spartans’ defense, scoring 24 points in 20 minutes of play, making all four three-pointers she attempted and 10 out of 13 field goals. Second-year Miranda Burt scored 14 points despite only playing 13 minutes. Obi continued her dominant season with her fourth straight double-double. This game marks the third time the Maroons have scored 90 or more points this season. 

This upcoming weekend represents a big two-game challenge for the Maroons. First, they’ll play the Emory Eagles who, while not nationally ranked, are 4–1 in UAA play and ranked second in the conference. The Eagles are on a four-game win streak. On Sunday, the Maroons will be the underdogs, facing No. 7 Rochester. The two teams are tied at the top of the UAA standings and thus are battling for that top ranking in the conference. Fourth-year Elizabeth Nye feels the team is definitely up to the challenge. “These are the only two teams left in the conference to beat and they have the other two best records so these are definitely statement games, but we aren’t doing anything different. We are practicing hard like normal and gonna play our game.” This weekend is about more than just the games for Nye, however. As a fourth-year, she can’t help but get a little nostalgic. “These weekends are always super fun and at this point they just seem natural but after this weekend I only have two more, which is sad because the team bonding during UAA weekends is always so fun.”