CHICAGO, Ill. -- The University of Chicago women's basketball team wore a path to the free throw line and hit big three-pointers to pick up its first conference win by a 73-61 score over Brandeis University on Friday.

The Maroons improved to 4-10 overall and 1-3 in the UAA. The Judges dropped to 7-8, 1-3 in conference.

UChicago got off to a good start, hitting its first three shots to go up 6-2 in front of a large, energetic crowd. However, Brandeis began to exploit its superior size during a 12-2 run. The forwards staked themselves deep in the paint, and were fed post-entry passes for a litany of shots within five feet of the basket. Good interior passing and offensive rebounds put the Judges in control for most of the first half.

The home team kept hanging in and cut the lead to 32-31 thanks to a layup and a free throw by Ali Shaw. Caitlin Moore's layup with 10 seconds remaining pushed the Maroons ahead 33-32 heading into halftime. Ellie Greiner tallied seven points in eight minutes of first-half action as UChicago shot 46.4 percent from the field (13-28).

The Maroons kept its momentum rolling from there. Three-pointers by Claire Devaney and Moore helped kick start an 18-4 run that was capped by a trey from Paige Womack. The freshman guard found herself open several times on the right side from beyond the arc and she took advantage with 14 second-half points. Womack's most impressive shot of the night was an NBA-range three that she sank while being body checked into the bench at the 4:49 mark.

UChicago wore a path to the free throw line down the stretch thanks to 18 Brandeis fouls over the final 18 minutes. The Maroons made 17 of 24 from the charity stripe in the second half, compared to only 1 of 3 by the Judges.

Brandeis pulled down 16 offensive rebounds and took 21 more shots over the course of the game. But UChicago cancelled that out with 17 more made free throws and seven three-pointers.

UChicago Team Stats & Leaders
Field-goal percentage - 40.0 percent (22-55)
Three-point percentage - 38.9 percent (7-18)
Free-throw percentage - 22-30 percent (73.3)
Paige Womack - 16 points
Claire Devaney - 14 points, 8 rebounds
Caitlin Moore - 12 points, 8 rebounds

Brandeis Team Stats & Leaders
Field-goal percentage - 35.5 percent (27-76)
Three-point percentage - 13.3 percent (2-15)
Free-throw percentage - 55.6 percent (5-9)
Erika Higginbottom - 14 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists
Kasey Dean - 10 points
Hannah Cain - 6 points, 11 rebounds

NEXT GAME: Sunday, Jan. 20 - New York University at UChicago, 2 PM.