CHICAGO -- The fourth-ranked University of Chicago men's basketball team opened UAA play with a bang on Saturday as the Maroons cruised to an 85-62 win over #8 WashU in front of a crowd of nearly 1,300 raucous fans.

The Maroons set the tone of the game early, sparking their offense by taking an early 5-0 lead in the first two minutes. After a bit back and forth, Daniel Cochran found Nick Roper on a fast break for a two-handed slam, extending the lead to seven.

The Bears found their offense as a layup in the paint cut the deficit back to five, but the Maroons quickly responded with as Shane Regan scored three straight baskets inside, and Eamonn Kenah knocked down back-to-back three-pointers to jump the Maroons on a 19-0 run. Going into halftime, UChicago held a 41-26 advantage over the Bears.

UChicago continued to apply pressure after the break. Cochran opened the second half with a fast-break three, Roper followed with another from deep, and Kenah buried a transition triple to push the lead to 50-26 less than two minutes into the half. WashU made several attempts to close the gap, but the Maroons consistently responded with baskets of their own, including a corner three from Noah Pit and multiple finishes in the paint by Regan. Kenah's fifth triple of the afternoon sealed the deal for UChicago down the stretch as UChicago rolled to the 23-point victory.

Shane Regan led the Maroons with 20 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists, shooting an impressive 71.4% from the floor. Kenah added 19 points and Cochran finished with 14 points. Nick Roper chipped in 13 as UChicago shot 54.7% from the floor and 46.4% from three-point range.

With the win, the Maroons improve to 11-1 and stretch the winning streak to nine consecutive game, their longest since the 2003 season. UChicago will return to action next weekend with a pair of road contests at Case Western Reserve and Carnegie Mellon.