From University of Rochester
Sam Borst-Smith scored five of his game-high 17 points in the last 49 seconds as Rochester bounced back to defeat Washington University, 75-73, at the WU Field House on Friday evening.
With the Yellowjackets down, 70-68, Borst-Smith drove for a layup, drew the foul, and sank the free throw to put Rochester ahead, 71-70. After a Washington timeout, Mack Montague stole the ball from Clinton Hooks. Montague missed his layup but Tucker Knox scrapped for the rebound, got it to Borst-Smith, and he was fouled with 12.5 seconds left. He sank both ends of the one-and-one for a three-point lead.
After the Bears missed a three-pointer, Knox grabbed another rebound, was fouled, and made two free throws for a 75-70 lead with two seconds left. Those points provided the winning margin as Washington's Kevin Kucera hit a three-pointer from just inside halfcourt to beat the buzzer.
Montague finished with 16 points for Rochester. Jared Seltzer had 14 points and nine rebounds. Michael Mangan scored 12 points and Knox had 10.
Andrew Sanders had 14 points and 12 rebounds for Washington. Hooks scored 13 to accompany nine rebounds. Six men scored 10 or more points for Washington.
The victory is the third in a row for Rochester (11-6 overall, 4-2 UAA) and its fourth in the last five games. Washington, which lost its fourth straight home game, all in the UAA, is 10-7 overall, 2-4 UAA.
Rochester is one game out of first place in the UAA race. Emory defeated Chicago on Friday night and Carnegie Mellon won at NYU. Emory and Chicago are tied for first at 5-1. Rochester is 4-2. NYU is 3-3. On Sunday, Rochester plays at Chicago and Emory goes to St. Louis to face Washington. NYU hosts Case Western Reserve University and Carnegie Mellon is at Brandeis.
Washington hit 25 of 34 shots from the foul line. Rochester was 13 of 17 with five of those shots coming in the final 49 seconds. The Yellowjackets lost three front court players to foulouts: Seltzer, Dylan Peretz, and Zack Ayers. Brendan O'Shea had four fouls.
The Bears started quickly, hitting four 3-pointers and sprinting to a 20-7 lead before five minutes passed. Rochester used a 10-0 run – 3-point shots from Montague and Mangan, a layup by Ayers, and a baseline drive from Montague – to pull within 20-17.
WU opened the margin to eight, 29-21, after a layup from Jake Knupp. UR went on a 13-4 flurry to move in front, 34-33. Six players scored in the run. Ryan Clamage and Montague hit 3-point shots. It was 39-all at halftime.
The Bears opened a six-poitn lead early in the second half, but Rochester clawed back. The score was tied five times in the first 11 minutes of the second half. Matt Highsmith hit a 20-footer from left wing to put Washington up, 60-57. The Bears did not make another shot from the field until Kucera's 40 footer at the buzzer. Their next 10 points came at the foul line.
Two free throws from Highsmith put Washington ahead, 70-68, with just under a minute to play. Rochester came down court, called time, and set up the Borst-Smith drive that turned the game in Rochester's favor.