From University of Rochester Athletics
The University of Rochester women's basketball team kept its hopes alive for a Pool C (at-large) invitation to the NCAA Division III national playoffs after defeating Case Western Reserve, 79-70, on Sunday afternoon.
Rochester improved to 17-7 overall, 8-5 in the University Athletic Association. Case Western Reserve is 13-11 overall, 5-8 in the UAA. The Yellowjackets are ranked third in the East Region by the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Committee.
The Yellowjackets will finish in third place in the UAA standings, regardless of next weekend's games. Rochester will play at Emory University on Saturday. The Eagles are 5-8 in the UAA. The title will be determined in a game with the University of Chicago visiting Washington University-St. Louis. Both teams are 11-2 in league play.
Alexandra Leslie scored a game-high 27 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, had two assists, and two blocked shots. Laure Deming scored 15 points, added nine rebounds, and six assists. Lizzy Atkinson scored 14 points in 19 minutes off the bench. She hit four three-point goals. Brenna James had 10 points, five rebounds, and two steals.
Kara Hageman led Case with 20 points, 10 rebounds, two blocks, two steals, and three assists. Jessica McCoy scored 19 points with three steals, and Hillary Hellman had 18 points and nine rebounds.
With Rochester nursing a 53-52 lead one minute into the fourth quarter, Atkinson sank a three-pointer from right wing to extend the lead to 56-52. James hit a trey from left wing after Case closed to 56-54. Lena Ethington added a driving layup for Rochester and followed that with a six foot jumper in the lane. The mini 7-2 spurt put Rochester up, 63-56.
The Spartans stayed close, getting it down to 68-64 on two free throws from McCoy and a layup by Hellman with just over three minutes left. Leslie scored five points in the next 90 seconds – a six-footer in the lane, a layup and free throw – for a 73-66 edge. The Yellowjackets hit six of their last 10 free throw attempts to clinch the win.
Case pulled within 31-30 on a three-pointer by Alexis Amburgey with 3:18 to go in the second period. Mary Kronenwetter made a layup to start a 10-0 Rochester run that closed the first half and put the Yellowjackets up, 41-30, at intermission.
The lead grew to 47-30 early in the third before the Spartans got hot. Case went on an 18-1 run over four and a half minutes, tying the score at 48-all on Hageman's trey from the top of the key with 2:30 left. CWRU hit four three-pointers in the burst – two by Hageman, one apiece from McCoy and Hellmann. Atkinson's third three-pointer of the game rattled in at the third period buzzer to keep Rochester ahead, 53-49.