From University of Rochester Athletics
The UR women continued their stretch of exciting finishes with a win Friday evening in the Palestra. #7 Rochester had to overcome a first half deficit to secure victory.
After trailing for a majority of the first half, the Yellowjackets came out strong in the 3rd quarter and did not look back. Rochester gained the lead early in the third period and kept that lead for the remainder of the contest on their way to a 69-65 win over Washington University of St. Louis.
This was Rochester's fourth consecutive home victory against Washington. The Yellowjackets have won 11 straight and improve to 16-1, (6-0 UAA) on the season. With the loss, Washington drops to 12-5, (3-3 UAA) on the year.
Alexandra Leslie led the way for Rochester, scoring 15 points on 6-11 shooting. Leslie added 8 rebounds and 3 assists in 30 minutes of play. Lizzy Atkinsion chipped in 13 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 blocks for the Yellowjackets. Atkinson was 2-4 from behind the arc.
Brynn Lauer had a big game on her birthday with 13 points and 5 rebounds for Rochester. Lauer also hit two huge free throws in the final seconds to put the game on ice for the Yellowjackets.
Lauren Deming added 8 points for UR in 23 minutes, while Mary Kronenwetter and Tessa Ludwick each had 7 points. Lauren Foley also added 5 points for Rochester and Emma Michaels had a solid game with 4 rebounds, 4 steals and 3 assists.
Rachael Sondag led the scoring for Washington with 11 points on 4-7 shooting. Sondag was 3-5 from three-point range. Madeline Homoly had 9 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for the Bears while Stephanie Botkin added 10 points and 3 steals. Bec Clark- Callender added 9 points and 3 assists and both Natalie Orr and Caroline Ballard chipped in 7 points.
After falling behind 23-12 in the first quarter, Rochester stormed back with an 8-0 run to begin the second period to take the lead for a short while. Rochester was up 30-29 late in the second when Washington hit a 3-point buzzer beater to gain momentum going into the locker room. Washington shot 56% in the first quarter but Rochester's defense stepped up in the second, giving up only 9 points in the period.
The 3rd quarter was filled with more offensive play as Rochester put up 25 points in the quarter while shooting 46% from the field. The Yellowjackets ended the quarter with a 55-49 lead.
It was another dramatic end to the game as Washington was able to pull within two after a Deming layup, with a clutch 3-pointer with 30 seconds remaining in the game. Rochester, leading 67-65, then turned the ball over to give Washington a chance, but the Bears came up empty and were forced to foul with three seconds remaining. That was when Lauer stepped up to the free throw line and knocked in two huge shots to secure the victory for the Yellowjackets.
Both teams turned the ball over 20 times with Washington getting 14 points off those turnovers, while Rochester had 11 points off turnovers. The Bears were an efficient 56% from three-point range for the game, making 10-18 from beyond the arc but in the end Rochester was able to prevail.
Deming was honored with a 1000th point ball by coach Jim Scheible before the game. Deming recorded her 1000th point against Case-Western Reserve two weekends ago.