January 6, 2007

Maroons Drop UAA Opener to #24 Washington

CHICAGO -- Washington (Mo.) University's Troy Ruths and Sean Wallis scored 28 and 25 points, respectively, as the 24th-ranked Bears defeated the University of Chicago men's basketball team 70-59 in University Athletic Association play Saturday at the Ratner Athletics Center.

Ruths and Wallis combined for 20 of the game's first 37 points as the Bears (10-1 overall, 1-0 UAA) jumped out to a 27-10 lead with 5:45 remaining in the opening period.

Washington built a 41-22 advantage at halftime and maintained a double-digit lead throughout the second stanza. The Bears took their largest lead of the afternoon, 55-32, when Ruths converted a three-point play with 12:13 left in the game.

Ruths connected on 11 of 12 attempts from the field and six of seven from the foul line. He also grabbed a game-high seven rebounds. Wallis hit seven of nine three-point tries while collecting six assists and six boards.

Washington shot 59.5% from the field, while the Maroons connected at a 36.5% clip. The Bears were successful on 10 of 20 three-point shots; Chicago hit eight of 34 (23.5%).

Junior Nate Hainje (Brownsburg, Ind./ Brownsburg) led the Maroons with 20 points, while seniors Brandon Woodhead (Lincoln, Neb./ East) and Drew Adams (Elida, Ohio/ Elida) added 14 and 11, respectively.

Box Score