CHICAGO – University of Chicago's men's basketball team defeated Lake Forest 78-67 in its season opener in front of a solid crowd inside the Ratner Athletics Center on Thursday evening.

Arrish Bhandal led the UChicago scoring effort with 22 points as UChicago used two key scoring runs to distance itself from LFC. Ahead by just one with six minutes to go in the first half, the Maroons used an 18-10 run to take a 39-30 lead into the halftime locker room.

Lake Forest inched to within two points early in the second half, but the Maroons responded with a 13-0 run to distance themselves again. UChicago enjoyed its double-digit lead for a large majority of the remainder of the contest.

Joe Berry, in his first collegiate action, filled the stat sheet with 14 points, five assists, three rebounds and two steals. Ezra Moos and Josh Preston chipped in eight points a piece. Skyler Twyman knocked down two triples for six points.

The Maroons shot 57.4 percent from the field while limiting LFC to just 39.1 percent shooting. UChicago also won the paint battle with 42 points in the paint and outrebounding the Foresters 40-29.

UChicago takes on Albion on Saturday, Nov. 12 at 6 p.m. ET in Cincinnati, Ohio, as part of the Mount St. Joseph Tournament.