CHICAGO – The University of Chicago men's basketball offense broke out in a big way on Saturday afternoon as the Maroons cruised past Willamette University 97-68 at the Midway Classic.  

The Maroons improved to 3-0 while the Bearcats fell to 2-2. The 97 points were the most scored by UChicago since tallying 100 points against Kalamazoo College on December 7, 2019.

Once the home team hit its first shot of the day – a jumper by senior Zach Munson – there was no looking back. UChicago seized an 11-2 lead that it would build upon throughout the afternoon contest. Willamette drew close at 20-19 midway through the half. But the Maroons closed strong with a massive 24-4 run to go into halftime with a comfortable 48-26 advantage.

Sophomore Elliot Paschal put up 11 points and blocked four shots in the opening period. Munson and junior Bryce Hopkins shot a combined 8-for-10 from the field en route to nine points apiece. UChicago shot 63 percent on field goals in the opening 20 minutes. Meanwhile, the Bearcats struggled with a 28 percent shooting performance.

Three-straight jumpers by Hopkins in the early stages of the second half made the score 57-36. The junior forward ended up with a game-high 20 points while shooting 8 of 12 from the field. He also added four rebounds and three steals.

UChicago steadily built its lead into the high 20s and 30s in the second half. Fifteen Maroons saw action in the game as the hosts clinched a 29-point victory in the Ratner Athletics Center.

Alongside Hopkins' performance, Munson went 6-for-8 for 13 points and six rebounds. Sophomore Leonardo Edo put up nine points and five rebounds.

UChicago shot 55.2 percent from the field, 31.6 percent from three (6-19) and 68 percent from the free throw line (17-25). The Maroons owned the low post, blocking 10 shots on the day while leading the points in the paint category 42-20. The two squads combined for 44 turnovers.

NEXT GAME:

• Sunday, Nov. 21 @ 2:00 PM – Pomona-Pitzer at UChicago