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Chicago Erupts from Outside in Second Half to Upend Transylvania in the Don Lane Classic

Posted at 9:26 PM, Dec 18, 2018
and last updated 2018-12-18 21:26:33-05
Transylvania Athletics

Lexington, Ky. – The University of Chicago Maroons caught fire from three-point range in the second half of the opening night of the 2018 Don Lane Classic presented by ECoach to defeat the Transylvania men’s basketball team, 86-72 at the Beck Center.

After a humble 7 for 23 showing from behind the arc in the first half, the Maroons broke out for a 9 for 17 from outside in the second half, sparking two key runs to pull away from the Pioneers as they began their two-game trek to Lexington with a win.

Tuesday’s victory boosted the Maroons to 6-3 overall while the Pioneers dropped to 5-5 on the year.

Sophomore guard Devin Twenty led the Pioneers with an aggressive 19 points on 8 for 15 shooting from the arc, hitting 2 of 5 three-point attempts.

The Maroons fielded five different double-digit scorers, paced by Cole Schmitz’s 17 points on 5 for 8 shooting from the three-point line.

Squaring off in the opener of the ninth-annual Don Lane Classic, the Pioneers and Maroons went back and forth in the first half as the teams traded three ties and eight lead changes. The Pioneers turned in 48 percent shooting in the first half while the Maroons leaned on its three-point volume to carry a 41-39 lead to the break.

The Maroons sharpened their three-point shooting immediately in the second half while utilizing its size to create a diverse inside-outside attack. Following a half-opening triple from Twenty, the Maroons went on an 8-0 run to claim a 49-42 advantage. A veteran-led attack by seniors Bo Schuh and Cooper Theobald thinned Chicago’s lead back to 53-51, but the Maroons embarked on an extended run over the next six and a half minutes, outscoring Transy 18 to 7.

Twenty hit a jumper to cut Chicago’s lead to 71-60, but the Maroons hit back with another 8-0 run to expand its lead to 19 and put the game out of reach.

The Pioneers hit on 3 of 14 three-point attempts in the second half while Chicago shot 53 percent from behind the circle over that same juncture.

Junior guard Spencer McKinney splashed home three 3-pointers and finished with 13 points, while Theobald also added 13 points to go with a co-game high eight rebounds and four assists.

Chicago will face the Thomas More Saints tomorrow at 5:00 p.m. at the Beck Center while the Pioneers will conclude the Don Lane Classic on Thursday at 5:00 p.m. versus the Saints.

For more on Transylvania men’s basketball, follow @TransyHoops on Twitter