ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The University of Chicago women's basketball team erased a 20-point deficit in the second half, but couldn't finish off the comeback in the final seconds of an 81-75 loss at University of Rochester on Sunday afternoon.

The No. 13-ranked Maroons dropped to 15-5 overall (6-3 University Athletic Association). The Yellowjackets improved to 9-11 overall and 3-6 in the UAA.

An early nine-point run put UChicago in a hole for the second-straight game, and Rochester capitalized to take a 26-15 lead after one quarter of play. Midway through the second quarter, the Maroons found themselves trailing by 22 points at 42-20. Senior forward Taylor Lake scored six points in-a-row to help her squad get to within 44-28 at the halftime break.

Once the second half got rolling, the rally was on. UChicago nearly doubled its score by tallying 24 points in the third quarter. Lake provided 11 of those points and the Maroons clawed closer at 61-52.

The visitors kept chipping away at the deficit in the fourth quarter. Back-to-back jumpers from senior guard Mia Farrell eventually tied the score up at 72-72 with two minutes left in the game.

After two missed free throws by the Yellowjackets, the Maroons were within two points once again. But UChicago missed the tying basket with eight seconds remaining and Rochester closed out the contest at the line.

Lake racked up a career-best 32 points on 13 of 25 shooting from the field. She also grabbed nine rebounds. Farrell and senior guard Miranda Burt posted 13 points each. Sophomore forward Klaire Steffens snagged 10 rebounds and seven points.

Despite Rochester's height advantage, the Maroons outworked the home team 45-38 on the boards, including a 19-10 margin on offensive rebounds. Second-chance points were hugely in UChicago's favor at 24-2. However, the Yellowjackets collected nine blocked shots defensively.

The hosts outshot the visitors 43.3 percent to 39.2 percent on field goals, while three-point percentage was nearly even (30.8 percent to 31.6 percent). Rochester wore a path to the free throw line, going 25-for-31 compared to 11-for-15 by the Maroons.

NEXT GAME:

• Friday, Feb. 14 @ 6:00 PM – Carnegie Mellon University at UChicago