WHITEWATER, Wis. – The University of Chicago women's basketball team lost its season-opener to No. 14-ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater 86-68 on Saturday.

The Maroons took their first lead six minutes into the game, bringing the score to 15-14, and the teams remained head to head as the half advanced. With the score tied at 29-29, the Warhawks gained momentum over the final five minutes to go into halftime with a 43-35 lead. Sophomore forward Britta Nordstrom impressed with 11 points in 10 minutes off the bench. Despite Wisconsin-Whitewater's advantage, the Maroons outperformed them in field-goal percentage – 52.0 percent to 40.6 percent.

Senior forward Claire Devaney hit a pair of free throws with nine minutes left in regulation to bring UChicago to within four points at 58-54. But the Warhawks then embarked on a 15-5 run that kept the Maroons at bay. UChicago scored an additional 33 points in the second half, and UWW matched their 43 from the first.

The home team flexed its muscle on the boards, outrebounding the Maroons 46-29. Both teams struggled from long range and shot a combined 9 of 41 (21.9 percent) from beyond the arc. Turnovers were close to even with 20 by UChicago and 19 by UWW.

UChicago Team Stats & Leaders
Field-goal Percentage – 45.3 percent (24-53)
Three-point Percentage – 15.0 percent (3-20)
Free-throw Percentage – 65.4 percent (17-26)
Claire Devaney (Forward, Sr.) – 18 points, 4 steals
Britta Nordstrom (Forward, So.) – 16 points
Elizabeth Nye (Guard, Fr.) – 9 points, 4 assists

Wisconsin-Whitewater Team Stats & Leaders
Field-goal Percentage – 41.0 percent (25-61)
Three-point Percentage – 28.6 percent (6-21)
Free-throw Percentage – 76.9 percent (30-39)
Reilly Stewart – 20 points
Abbie Reeves – 19 points, 8 rebounds

NEXT GAME:

• Friday, November 21 – UChicago vs. Capital University (at North Manchester, Ind.), 5 PM (ET)