The Case Western Reserve University women's basketball team made a late run on Friday night, turning a double-digit fourth quarter deficit to just two points with under five minutes to play, but the team's comeback ultimately came up short in a 63-55 loss to the University of Chicago at Horsburgh Gymnasium in Cleveland, Ohio.

The loss dropped the Spartans to 6-11 overall on the season, including a 1-5 record in University Athletic Association play. Chicago improved to 9-7 overall with a 2-4 mark in conference games.

Senior guard/ forward Abbey Lawrence led all scorers on Friday with 17 points, shooting six-of-13 overall and one-of-three from long range, while also collecting five rebounds. Junior guard McKenna Gross scored 14 points, and sophomore forward Kayla Characklis finished the game with 11 points and six rebounds. Junior guard/ forward Isabella Mills added six points, while pacing the squad with seven rebounds and five steals.

The Spartans trailed by as many as 12 in the game and were down by 10 points to start the fourth quarter. However, a layup by sophomore forward Preet Gill and a three by Gross trimmed the Maroons' lead to five, 47-42, with 7:55 remaining. CWRU continued to eat away at the lead, and with 4:52 remaining, Mills knocked down the first of two free throws, and after missing the second, Characklis was able to collect the rebound and follow with a jumper that brought the Spartans back within two, 52-50. However, Chicago quickly pulled away again with an 8-0 run that effectively put the game out of reach for CWRU.

Chicago took a 12-8 lead after a low-scoring first quarter. CWRU was within two points, 16-14, after a layup by Characklis with 5:33 to play in the half, but the Maroons eventually expanded their lead to double figures with under a minute left in the second period and took a 30-22 lead into halftime. A long two-pointer by Chicago's Grace Hynes with 1:12 left in the third put the Maroons in front by a game-high 12 points, 47-35. A layup by Gill just before the clock expired in the third triggered a 7-0 run for the Spartans that stretched into the fourth and allowed CWRU to get back into the game.

The Spartans finished the game with a 14-2 edge in second half points and a 14-9 advantage in points off turnovers.

Case Western Reserve will be back in action on Sunday, as the Spartans will host Washington University (Mo.) at 2:00 p.m. to wrap-up a four-game conference home stand.