CHICAGO, IL- After a highlight win over the #2 ranked team in the nation on Friday night, the University of Rochester women's basketball team got off to a sluggish start which led to an 83-70 defeat at the hands of the University of Chicago on Sunday afternoon at the Ratner Athletics Center.
 
Rochester (8-12, 2-7 UAA) hit only two of its first 13 shots from the floor, allowing the home Maroons to jump out to an early 18-6 lead nine minutes into the game, a deficit which UR ultimately would not be able to recover from.
 
A 9-0 rush for Rochester late in the first period allowed the Yellowjackets to cut the deficit down to just five (28-23) with 5:51 remaining in the half.  Senior Loren Wagner made two baskets while Blair Landolfi hit a tough banked 3-pointer and Danielle June hit a jumper during the stretch.
 
The Maroons would build the lead back to 11 before Rochester closed with five points in the last 30 seconds to head to the locker room trailing only by six at 38-32.
 
June provided some solid play early in the second half off the UR bench, scoring five straight points, pulling Rochester within four with 15:44 on the clock.  She finished with a career high 12 points, nine coming in the second half.
 
The Maroons (12-8, 6-3 UAA) would then put the game out of reach with an extended 20-4 run started with back-to-back treys from Caitlin Moore and Julie Muguria.  That run built the Chicago lead to 22 and finished with five straight points from Claire Devaney who finished with a career high 23 points and 12 rebounds for UC.  Britta Nordstrom added 16 points while Moore added 10 points for the Maroons.
 
Rochester applied the full-court pressure late in the game, forcing a couple Chicago turnovers and closing within nine, but the lead was too large for the come from behind victory.
 
Wagner had a big game for Rochester with 12 points and 20 rebounds, matching a career high on the glass.  The 20 boards gave the senior her 12th double-double of the year and moves her into the top-10 all-time in rebounding in Rochester history (688).  Senior Danielle McNabb and junior Ally Zywicki topped UR in scoring with 14 points.
 
Overall, Rochester shot just 37% (25-67) from the floor while the Maroons finished at 48% (28-58).  Chicago held a 42-36 edge on the glass while both teams hit seven 3-pointers.  Chicago committed 18 turnovers but was solid at the charity stripe, hitting 20-23 free throws.
 
The Yellowjackets next game will take place on Friday when they travel to Cleveland, Ohio for a matchup with Case Western Reserve University at 6 pm.