UR Women’s Basketball held on to defeat the Washington University in St. Louis Bears 69–65 on Friday at the Palestra. With that victory notched,the Yellowjackets extended their winning streak to 11 and remain undefeated in the UAA.
Before the women’s game, senior forward Lauren Deming was honored for scoring her 1,000th point, which she accomplished two weeks ago against Case Western Reserve. She is just the 14th athlete in school history to achieve that feat.
In the first quarter of the women’s game, the Bears had a strong defensive showing, holding the ‘Jackets scoreless for four minutes and limiting them to just 12 points. The Bears were making their shots and pulled ahead to a 23–12 lead.
The ‘Jackets got back in the game in the second quarter by opening with an 8–0 run, and even took the lead until a three-point buzzer beater put Washington on top at the half, 32–30.
Rochester pulled ahead in the third quarter, making 46 percent from the field. The team maintained a lead for the remainder of the game. With less than three minutes left in the game, the Bears sunk a three-pointer, closing the gap to one point at 59–58. But the Bears kept fouling, and the ‘Jackets kept making free throws to hold onto their lead, and eventually the ‘Jackets secured a 69–65 victory at the buzzer.
Both teams had strong defensive showings, each forcing 20 turnovers. The Bears went an impressive 10 of 18 on three-point shots, but their 24 team fouls cost them.
For the ‘Jackets, senior forward Alexandra Leslie had an impressive game, scoring 15 points and recording three assists and eight rebounds. Senior guard Lizzy Atkinson racked up 13 points, three assists, three rebounds, and three blocks.
The men’s team didn’t have as much success against Washington-St. Louis. The No. 2 ranked Bears ended the No. 22 Yellowjackets’ four-game win streak with a 77–62 victory.
The Bears took an early lead, capitalizing on fouls and fast breaks to pull ahead, 11–4. However, the ‘Jackets went on a nice run, and two three-pointers by junior guard Brendan O’Shea gave Rochester a 16–13 lead.
The ‘Jackets then began to miss shots, and the Bears pulled in enough boards to build a lead. For the last seven minutes of the first half, the Bears had a double-digit lead, and finished the first half up 43–33.
The Bears had nine offensive rebounds in the first half, while the ‘Jackets failed to get any offensive boards, and they also had five more defensive rebounds than the ‘Jackets.
The Bears’ lead remained close to 10 for the majority of the second half. But near the end, the ‘Jackets missed a few opportunities, and the Bears landed some three-pointers, increasing their lead and cementing a 77–62 final score.
In the second half, the ‘Jackets were able to match the Bears’ strong rebounding, but they shot an abysmal 32 percent from the field. Rochester showed no signs of dominance, and poor shooting hindered its chances at a comeback.
There were still some good individual performances. Junior guard Ryan Clamage had 22 points, four steals, six rebounds, and two assists. Sophomore forward Jacob Urban contributed four points and five rebounds. But nobody could match the success of Washington-St. Louis, which had five players score 10 or more points, including one who added 15 boards.
Both the men’s and women’s teams will face Washington-St. Louis again on on Feb. 2.
