February 9, 2007

Pancratz's Late Baskets Lift Maroons Past Case

CHICAGO -- Freshman Jake Pancratz (Schaumburg, Ill./ Schaumburg) scored the tying and winning baskets in the game's final minute as the 23rd-ranked University of Chicago men's basketball team edged Case Western Reserve University 77-73 in University Athletic Association action Friday night at the Ratner Athletics Center.

Chicago trailed 73-71 when Pancratz hit a jumper to tie the game with 44 seconds remaining. He then took a feed from junior Nate Hainje (Brownsburg, Ind./ Brownsburg) and converted a layup with 10 seconds left to put the Maroons on top 75-73.

Hainje sealed the win with a pair of free throws with two seconds to go. He scored 13 of his 14 points in the second stanza.

Chicago (17-4 overall, 8-2 UAA) trailed most of the night. The game was tied at 17-17 midway through the first half when Case (4-17, 0-10) went on a 10-0 run.

A layup by Quinton Mathis in the closing seconds of the first period gave the Spartans a 43-34 advantage at the break.

Case took its largest lead, 55-42, on a Matt Cannan three-pointer with 15:20 left in the game. Cannan finished with 15 points.

The Maroons then chipped away at the deficit until the 4:51 mark when senior Brandon Woodhead's (Lincoln, Neb./ East) basket gave Chicago its first lead of the second half, 68-67. The lead then changed hands three times until Pancratz's game-tying layup in the final minute.

Pancratz contributed 12 points, five assists, and five steals in 24 minutes off the bench.

Woodhead and Case's Steve Young shared game-high scoring honors with 19 points each.

Mason Conrad collected 16 points on 8-of-11 shooting for the Spartans, while senior Jesse Meyer (Omaha, Neb./ Bellevue West) finished with 11 points for Chicago. Meyer sunk three three-point field goals.

Case shot 62% from the field and 43% from behind the arc (6-of-14). Chicago, which won for the eighth time in nine games shot 46% from the floor and was 10-of-25 from three-point distance (40%).

Box Score