CHICAGO – The three-pointers were flying on Friday evening inside the Ratner Athletics Center. The University of Chicago and Case Western Reserve University men's basketball teams both had hot hands from deep and an offensive shootout ensued. However, CWRU's scoring pace proved hard to keep up with in the second half as UChicago lost 93-77.

The Maroons dropped to 6-12 overall (1-6 in the University Athletic Association). The No. 23-ranked Spartans improved to 16-2 and 6-1 in UAA play.

Both teams were dialing it up from long range early and often – they combined to hit 24 three-pointers on 51 attempts (47 percent). UChicago hit 8 of 16 in the first half alone to maintain equal footing with CWRU.

The visiting Spartans utilized an 8-1 run to draw ahead 23-12 through seven minutes. The lead was trimmed to 27-22 following a trey from sophomore Leonardo Edo. CWRU pushed the advantage back out to 10 points with six minutes left in the half. But UChicago closed strong to even things up 41-41, with Edo providing another long-distance jumper. Junior Skyler Twyman's bucket put UChicago back ahead at 43-41 in the final minute and the two sides would go into the halftime break knotted up at 43-43.

UChicago boasted a balanced scoring attack in the opening half thanks to good ball movement across the court. Senior Ryan Martin had 10 points, closely followed by Edo and sophomore Elliot Paschal with eight points each.

CWRU's Cole Frilling and Mitch Prendergast proved difficult to contain, particularly in the second half. They combined for 30 points in the closing 20 minutes and helped the Spartans surge back into the lead early. When the visiting side looked poised to pull away, however, UChicago was able to find an answer to keep within striking distance. Senior Brandon Beckman splashed a three to draw within 63-60 about midway through the half.

An 8-0 run shortly after that put CWRU into a more comfortable position. The Spartans would later put the game out of reach with a 16-5 closing run over the final five minutes.

One category that damaged UChicago's chances was turnovers. The Maroons committed 16 on the evening, which produced a 24-5 advantage for CWRU in points off turnovers. Steals in the backcourt quickly went the other way, resulting in a 17-2 lead in fastbreak points.

UChicago shot 44.1 percent from the field, 44.8 percent from three-point range (13-29) and 66.7 percent from the free throw line (12-18). Senior Zach Munson posted 12 of his 16 points in the second half. He notched a double-double by grabbing 11 rebounds. Paschal contributed 16 points as well. Edo recorded 12 points and six rebounds. Martin and junior Alec Bryan had 10 points each.

CWRU made 54.7 percent of its field goals, 50 percent of its three-pointers (11-22) and 80 percent of its free throws (12-15). The Spartans concluded with an edge in rebounding (36-32) and a decisive margin in points in the paint (44-24).

NEXT GAME:

• Sunday, Feb. 6 @ 12:00 PM – Carnegie Mellon University at UChicago