From University of Rochester Athletics
The University of Rochester men's basketball team held off a second half rally from visiting Carnegie Mellon University to win 82-67 on Friday night at the Louis Alexander Palestra.
The victory moves Rochester, the #6 team in NCAA Division III, to 21-2 overall and 10-2 in the UAA, while Carnegie Mellon drops to 13-10 overall and 7-5 in the UAA, snapping a three-game win streak in the process. UR's 21 wins is the most in a season since 2012-13.
After building a lead as big as 16 just under three minutes into the second half, the Tartans began to chip away, eventually dropping the margin to five with 13 minutes left in the game, following a 13-3 run.
Rochester's lead was four with just under nine minutes on the clock, but the Yellowjackets then went on a 17-5 run to pull away in the closing minutes. In the stretch, CMU was just 1-9 from the floor while the Yellowjackets were 6-11 over the seven minutes.
UR was led by senior Zack Ayers who scored 22 points, just two shy of his career high which he set a week ago in Chicago. Three others scored in double figures for the Yellowjackets, with Mack Montague scoring 16 with five rebounds and Jacob Wittig having another solid game with 14 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists.
Ryan Clamage chipped in 11 points and five rebounds off the bench while Sam Borst-Smith had another great all-around performance with 9 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals. The three steals give the senior 66 on the season, setting a new Rochester single-season record.
Carnegie Mellon was paced by Jack Serbin who had 18 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists and Zach Howarth who had 15 points. Chris Shkil also contributed a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
After the visiting Tartans scored the games' first five points, Rochester then scored 13 of the next 16 points, building a five-point lead five minutes into the contest. UR made three from behind-the-arc in the run, two by Montague and one by Ayers.
The lead then hit double-figures following an 11-2 spurt with 8:56 remaining in the half. UR's bench ignited the team this time, with Patrick Benka, Clamage and Michael Mangan each contributing baskets. Rochester eventually headed to the locker room with a 10-point lead, up 38-28.