CHICAGO – The University of Chicago produced 26 points off 25 turnovers (15 steals) in an 80-70 victory over the University of Rochester at the Ratner Center on Sunday afternoon.
 
Chicago's victory – the second over Rochester in seven days – gives the Maroons a three-game lead in the University Athletic Association race with five games remaining. Chicago is 18-2 overall, 9-0 UAA. UC is ranked #16 in the current D3hoops.com media poll.
 
Rochester dropped its third straight game. The Yellowjackets are 16-4 overall, 6-3 in the UAA. They are tied with Washington (MO) University in the UAA standings. UR's four losses have come against Tufts (at the Williams tournament in December), twice to Chicago, and once to Washington – in St. Louis on Friday night. Tufts and Chicago are both nationally-ranked. Washington is battling to get back into the poll after some early season stumbles.
 
Lauren Deming scored 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead Rochester. Alexandra Leslie had 33 points and 11 rebounds. Lizzy Atkinson was UR's third double-figure scorer. She finished with 13 points. Lena Ethington scored eight points, grabbed nine rebounds, and made two steals. Ethington missed the Washington-Chicago weekend at the Palestra one week ago, but played in both weekend games this time.
 
Chicago's scoring leader was Taylor Lake. She finished with a game-high 16 points, hitting 9 of 14 from the floor. She added seven rebounds. Olariche Obi had 13 points, 12 rebounds, and three steals. Mia Farrell scored 16 points, and Miranda Burt had 11.
 
Rochester had a 44-30 advantage on the glass, but Chicago's difference came in taking care of the ball. The Maroons gave it away only eight times, leading to four Yellowjacket points. UR's 26 turnovers led to 25 Chicago points. Five of Rochester's fouls were offensive fouls and two of them wiped out baskets by Ethington.
 
For three quarters, the game swung back and forth. A fastbreak layup by Farrell gave Chicago its biggest lead of the first quarter, 23-15 with 2:35 to play. Rochester went on a 13-3 sprint over the next 7:10 to nose in front, 28-26.  Six players scored. Deming had a layup and later added one free throw. Atkinson drained a three-pointer out of the left corner.
 
Chicago answered with 10 straight points in just over two minutes – two layups, four free throws, and a jumper off the block by Burt. UC led, 42-34, at the half.
 
More of the same in the third quarter. A 7-0 Rochester run (capped by a Leslie putback and a Deming layup) narrowed it to 44-43. Chicago answered with its own 7-0 run – six by Obi with four of them coming after UR turnovers – to go up 51-43 with 4:26 left. Rochester finished the period 9-3: Deming made a layup, Atkinson hit her second three of the afternoon, Deming made another layup, and after one free throw by Lake and a followup from Obi, Mary Kronenwetter hit a jumper at the quarter buzzer to make it 54-52 UC.
 
Leslie's layup tied it early in the fourth (54-54) before Chicago scored 12 of the next 14 points and took control, 66-56, with just under five minutes left.
 
In a week's time, Rochester heads to Case Western Reserve and Carnegie Mellon for its regular season road finales. Washington and Chicago visit NYU and Brandeis. UR plays its last three games in the Palestra, hosting Brandeis (February 16), NYU (February 18), and Emory (February 24).