CHICAGO – No. 22 University of Chicago returned to action after the Thanksgiving holiday looking to keep their record perfect after a scare last Tuesday at Carroll. This time they’d play on their home court and take on local foe North Central College. The Maroons used a total team attack to quickly put the game out of reach for the Cardinals as UChicago turned in their biggest win of the season in a blowout on Sunday.

FINAL SCORE
North Central – 45
No. 22 UChicago – 92

HOW IT HAPPENED

• No. 22 University of Chicago (6-0) kicked off the game by going on a 9-2 run and gave fans inside the Ratner Athletic Center a glimpse of what was to come later in the game. North Central (3-3) tried to hang with the Maroons and got back within three with two minutes left in the first quarter but another 6-0 UChicago rally gave the home team a nine-point lead after ten minutes.
• The bulk of the damage was done to the Cardinals in the second frame. The Maroons scored 31 points off 65 percent shooting while they limited NCC to 10 points on just 18.8 percent shooting. Marissa Powe put together a fantastic two period stretch with a double-double (10 points, 10 rebounds) after just 20 minutes as UChicago took a 30-point lead into halftime.
• With such a substantial advantage, the Maroons were able to mix and match their rotations in the remaining two quarters and the team center play truly shined. The bench poured on 47 points when they were on the court and the transition game was working just fine as they outscored North Central 26-5 in that category.
• The Maroons lead grew to 49 points at its largest before they settled for a 47-point win in which all 13 players that saw the court scored at least one tally in the victory.

CHICAGO COMMENTS

• “Our win today was a total team effort which was especially evident because everyone scored! Everyone had high energy, especially in winning the rebounding battle and running in transition. Our energy was a huge in building and maintaining our lead and finishing strong.” – Sophomore Caroline Workman
• “Our focus today was about playing more and better in transition after our last game, and we definitely accomplished it as a whole team. We played with relentless pace which is a huge key moving forward. We forced North Central to take tough shots and I’m really proud of our defensive effort.” – Head coach Maria Williamson

UCHICAGO STAT TRACKER
Points – Sophia North (14)
Rebounds – Marissa Powe (13)
Assists – Kate Gross (6)
Steals – Marissa Powe (4)
Blocks – Four with one

WHO’S ON DECK
The women will look to keep their record pristine when they take on North Park at home on Wednesday. Game time from the Ratner Athletic Center is scheduled for 7:00 pm.

For up-to-the-minute University of Chicago Maroons news, visit www.athletics.uchicago.edu. You can also follow us on Twitter @uchicagoath and @uchicagoathletics on Instagram.