With victories over Carnegie Mellon and Case Western Reserve, the University of Chicago women’s basketball team clinched the UAA title for the sixth time, as well as recording their 20th straight victory as they maintain a perfect, 13–0 record in the UAA.
In Friday’s 70–51 win over Carnegie Mellon, second-year Mia Farrell opened the scoring with a three-pointer one minute into the game. The Maroons maintained pressure on the defensive end, forcing the Tartans to turn the ball over multiple times. The first quarter ended with second-year Taylor Lake making a layup in the final seconds, giving the Maroons a 23–17 lead.
The Tartans went on a run at the start of the second quarter, scoring back-to-back shots in order to lower the deficit to 23–21. Soon after, Farrell took over the game, going on an offensive run that included a three-pointer and layup, and completing a three-point play that extended the Maroons’ lead by seven. The Maroons led 38–23 at the half.
While the Carnegie Mellon Tartans looked to begin a small run after making back-to-back shots, second-year Miranda Burt put that to a halt with several consecutive shots. After that, the Maroons extended their lead by up to 19 points, successfully scoring contested shots and making it to the free-throw line. Bringing this momentum into the fourth quarter, the Maroons outscored their opponents 16–12, easily securing the victory.
Farrell finished with 16 points, four rebounds, and three steals. Lake added 12 points and nine rebounds, with third-year Olariche Obi scoring 10 points and playing fiercely on the defensive end, with six steals and three blocks. The Maroons forced 24 turnovers from the Tartans, which led to 27 points, while limiting their turnovers to seven.
From the start of their match against Case Western Reserve, the Maroons were dominant and aggressive. While both teams struggled offensively during the first quarter, the Maroons went on an 11-minute run, where the Spartans were held scoreless. They outscored the Spartans 25–2 in the second quarter and led 43–9 at halftime.
The Spartans were unable to come back from this deficit, scoring a combined 26 points in the second half. UChicago went on a 22–2 run in the second half, eventually capturing the 73–35 victory. The Maroons forced 22 turnovers from the Spartans, while they only had seven. The bench was dominant, scoring 45 points total.
The Maroons shot 40 percent from the field (28–70), while the Spartans shot 22.6 percent (14–62). First-year Marissa Igunbor played an important role, coming off the bench and getting a double-double, with 19 points and 12 rebounds. Obi notched another double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
The Maroons will face off against Wash U on Saturday, February 24, at 1 p.m.
