From University of Rochester Athletics
The University of Rochester got off to a blistering start, then
held on down the stretch to post a 97-83 men's basketball victory
over Emory University at the Louis Alexander Palestra on Saturday
afternoon.
Nate Vernon led Rochester with 23 points in his final
performance. The senior guards hit five of seven from the
floor, two of three outside the arc, and all 11 of his free throw
attempts. Vernon leads Division III in free throw percentage. His
11-of-11 effort raised put him at .950 (76 of 80) for the year.
Kevin Sheehy scored 22 points, making 11 of 13 from the line. Mack
Montague and Sam Borst-Smith scored 11 points each and Jarryd
Seltzer sored 10. Rochester finished its season at 10-15 overall,
4-10 in the University Athletic Association.
McPherson Moore scored a team-high 22 points for Emory (17-8, 9-5
UAA). All five Eagle starters hit double figures. Jake Davis scored
18. Alex Foster and Michael Florin had 13, while Will Trawick
scored 11. Emory was ranked No. 2 in the South Region in this
week's poll of the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Committee.
The Eagles will have to sit and wait to see if they get a Pool C
(at-large) bid to the NCAA Division III playoffs. The field will be
announced on Monday.
The Yellowjackets hit 12 of their first 13 floor shots, including a
five-of-five performance outside the arc, to jump in front, 31-17
before the game was nine minutes old. Vernon scored eight
points in that lengthy burst. Sheehy hit a pair of 3-pointers.
Emory cut it below 10 once after that in the first half. A layup by
Moore and a 3-pointer from Trawick pulled the Eagles within
31-22. Sheehy hit his third 3-pointer of the half less than a
minute later to restore a 12-point edge, 34-22. Rochester led,
55-43, at the half.
In the first half, Rocheste Rmade 65% of its floor shots (15 of 23)
and was six of eight beyond the arc (75%). The Yellowjacket
shooting cooled slightly in the second half. Emory pulled within
five points twie – the first time at 68-63 on Foster's
3-pointer with 12:09 to go. The second time came two minutes later.
Vernon's second trey was offset by a traditional three-point play
by Florin and a jumper from Trawick to get Emory within 73-68, at
9:58. Rochester scored seven points in less than a minute – a
jumper from Borst-Smith, a layup by Dylan Peretz, and a trey from
Montague. That restored the 12-point lead, 80-68, at 8:56. Emory
never cut it below 10.
For the game, Rochester made 62.8%of its floor shots (27 of 43) and
was 10 of 14 from the arc (71.4% - which ties the school record for
three-point accuracy). Emory hit 39.4% from the floor (26 of
66), 24% on treys (6 of 25). Rochester held a slim 30-28 edge on
the glass (Borst-Smith led the way with eight.).
The 23 points give Vernon 1,097 career points. He finished
19th in career scoring, one point ahead of Larry
Hokaj (1981-85) who scored 1,096.