Jackets Surge to 72-55 Win over Allegheny
University of Rochester women’s basketball advanced to the Chuck Resler Tournament Championship Final with a 72-55 win over the Allegheny College Gators on Friday evening inside the Louis Alexander Palestra.
The ‘Jackets picked up their first win of the year with the 72-55 victory, using a 19-0 run over the second and third quarters to take a lead they’d never relinquish. Rochester will face Baldwin Wallace in the Resler Tournament Final, who defeated Gettysburg, 58-51, earlier in the day.
Allegheny would score the game’s opening bucket with Sarah Santicola’s layup 12 seconds into the first as the two sides played fairly even early on. Callie McCulley’s driving layup got the Yellowjackets on the scoreboard, but the Gators would take an early 6-2 lead on jumpers from Jess Bickart and Santicola, before extending their lead to 9-4 on Emily Lauer’s triple.
Layups from Claire Groenewoud and Kat Jenksstarted to get UR’s offense humming, before a pair of Groenewoud free throws pulled Rochester within one, 11-10, with 2:16 left in the first.
Sofia Genareo answered with a three to put Allegheny back up four, but the ‘Jackets ended the first quarter with five-straight points, three coming on free throws by Groenewoud and Rylee Drahosbefore Drahos’ driving layup with five seconds remaining gave the Yellowjackets a 15-14 lead after one.
The two sides traded scores to start the third, with Bickart’s layup with 6:35 to go in the second putting the Gators up three, 25-22. A minute and a half later, Tia Poulakidas made it a one-score game, going 1-for-2 at the line, before Hannah Lindemuth sank a triple, giving UR the lead.
With 2:11 left until the half, Lauer gave the Gators the lead with a driving layup, but it’d be all UR the rest of the quarter, as the ‘Jackets began their 19-0 run. Rochester closed the first half with seven-straight points, holding the Gators scoreless over the final 2:10 of the second quarter as they took a 33-27 lead into the break.
Abby Gress helped Rochester retake the lead with a layup before McCulley added another to make it a three-point, UR lead. Gress then sank a triple on the Yellowjackets’ final possession before the break, and Rochester went into the locker room with a 33-27 lead.
McCulley would keep things rolling for UR out of the halftime break, scoring seven of the ‘Jackets first nine points of the third. Rochester stretched its lead from 33-27 to 45-27 with a 12-0 run to start the third, holding the Gators scoreless for more than six minutes over the second and third quarters.
Back-to-back treys from McCulley and Haley Dumiakcapped off UR’s run before Genareo got the Gators on the scoreboard for the first time in the third with a layup with 5:39 left in the quarter.
Rochester would lead by as many as 18 in the third frame, as they outscored Allegheny, 19-10 in the third quarter after outscoring the Gators, 18-13 in the second.
Alex Sullivan’s turn-around jumper and Raquel Williams’ layup from Franki Gomez gave UR a 52-35 lead at the quarter-break before McCulley scored Rochester’s first points of the fourth with an and-one a little under a minute and a half in.
Allegheny cut the ‘Jackets’ lead to 12, 57-45 with 7:03 remaining, but eight straight from Rochester brought the lead out to its largest of the night, 65-45, and put the game out of reach for the Gators.
Drahos’ turn-around jumper started the 8-0 run, while another first-year in Poulakidas capped off the 2:53 stretch with two free throws to give Rochester a 20-point lead.
Down the stretch, Trinity Johnson sank three free throws for the Yellowjackets, while Poulakidas knocked down another layup to finish off the 72-55 victory and give Rochester its first win of the season.
McCulley led all scorers with 18 points, adding six rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks, as the ‘Jackets recorded eight steals and six blocks. Gress, Groenewoud and Drahos each scored nine, while Dumiak tied McCulley with a team-high six boards.
The ‘Jackets shot 40.3 percent from the field, holding Allegheny to 37.1 percent while outrebounding the Gators, 48-29. Rochester also outscored Allegheny in the paint, 42-28, and 12-11 off turnovers.
It’ll be a battle of Yellowjackets as Rochester faces Baldwin Wallace in the Resler Tournament Championship Game on Saturday, Nov. 11 at 8:00 p.m. inside the Palestra.