CHICAGO – Hitting the court for the first time since their NCAA tournament run came to a close last March, University of Chicago women's basketball had their focus fully on the 2023-24 campaign when they welcomed Benedictine to the Ratner Athletic Center. The Maroons used a well balanced attack in the first half and an absolutely dominant one in the second to notch their first win of the season with a 43-point thrashing of the Eagles on Wednesday night.

FINAL SCORE
Benedictine University – 48
No. 22 University of Chicago – 91

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The No. 22 University of Chicago (1-0) offense came out swinging in a first quarter where they made exactly half their shots (8-for-16) but were still only up by five after ten minutes thanks to seven made field goals by Benedictine (0-1).
• However, the Eagles offense slowed down in the second frame while the Maroons kept moving right along. UChicago outscored BenU 22-11 in the stanza and went into the locker room up by 16 thanks to a 51.5 percent shooting percentage in the first half.
• While their offense didn't slow down in the last two quarters with 49 more points put up on the scoreboard, it was the Maroons defense that took center stage. They held Benedictine to quarters of 13 and nine points to end the contest while forcing the Eagles to cough up the ball a total of 18 times.
• Three different UChicago players scored in double figures and nine put up at least five points in the contest as the Maroons earn win number one in impressive fashion via a 91-48 final score.

CHICAGO COMMENTS

• "The highlight of tonight was our full team effort. We came together to get great shots, defend hard and be relentless. This is an exciting start to our season, and we have some great opportunities quickly to keep growing." – Maroons head coach Maria Williamson
• "That game was a statement to start our season. Our shooting and defensive presence put pressure on them from the beginning and then we started rolling. I was so excited to see our whole team, and especially our freshman, step up in a big way." – Maroons senior guard Ellie Gross
• This was the Maroons highest point total since they scored 97 in a loss to WashU back on January 8, 2022.

UCHICAGO STAT TRACKER
Points – Ellie Gross (19)
Rebounds – Kasi Samuda & Marissa Powe (6)
Assists – Ellie Gross (4)
Steals – Four with two
Blocks – Six with one

WHO'S ON DECK
The Midway Classic is up next for the Maroons, who will play two games in two days. They'll begin the weekend by taking on Pomona-Pitzer on Saturday starting at 12:00 pm.

For up-to-the-minute University of Chicago Maroons news, visit www.athletics.uchicago.edu. You can also follow us on Twitter @uchicagoath and @uchicagoathletics on Instagram.