CLEVELAND, OH – The Case Western Reserve University women's basketball team trimmed a 19-point, second-half deficit all the way down to six, but still fell short of #11/#12 University of Chicago (IL) by a score of 65-55 on Friday, February 4 at Horsburgh Gymnasium.

The Spartans wore Mather College uniforms as part of Throwback Weekend at Case and dropped their fourth straight – all to teams ranked in the top 15 in the nation – to fall to 10-9 and 4-4 in the University Athletic Association. The Maroons improved to 16-3 overall (8-0 UAA) and have won 12 straight.

Junior forward Erin Hollinger (Chardon, OH/Chardon) led the Spartans with a game-high 24 points and is now just six away from 1,000 for her career. In addition, sophomore point guard Erica Iafelice (North Canton, OH/Hoover) totaled nine points, seven rebounds and five assists.

Chicago was paced by Taylor Simpson with 17 points and nine rebounds, along with a double-double effort of 13 points and 12 boards by Bryanne Halfhill.

The Spartans were held to just one basket for the first 8:58 and Chicago led 13-2 when Meghan Herrick scored two on a layup at 12:25. Hollinger nailed a three-pointer with 8:27 left in the half to pull the Spartans to within 17-10, but the Maroons quickly re-built their lead to double-figures. Case trimmed its deficit to eight on two more occasions before intermission, but Chicago was able to get to the locker room ahead, 30-19.  

In the second half, Chicago opened on a 12-4 run and led by a game-high 19, at 42-23, when Morgan Herrick hit a jumper at 14:51. The Spartans rallied with a 15-7 run to pull within 49-38 as Iafelice hit a layup with 8:53 left to play. After the two sides played even for the next 3:05, Case got a three-pointer from junior forward Sarah Milligan (Canton, OH/Canton McKinley) and trailed 55-47 at 5:18. The Spartans continued to battle back and got as close as six, at 59-53, when Hollinger hit a layup with 1:40 remaining. However, UC was able to regain control and finished the game on a 6-2 run.

The schedule doesn't get any easier for the Spartans, who will host their fifth straight top 15 opponent in #7 Washington University (MO) on Sunday, Feb. 6 at 2:00 p.m.