WALTHAM, Mass. - The top-ranked University of Rochester women's
basketball team opened on a 12-2 run over the first four minutes of
the second half and the Yellowjackets answered a couple of late
charges by No. 5 Brandeis University to earn a 66-62 University
Athletic Association (UAA) victory in Red Auerbach Arena tonight.
With the win, Rochester improved to 10-0 (2-0 UAA), while Brandeis
fell to 10-1, 0-1 UAA.
The first half of the contest was as tight as could be,
featuring seven ties and nine lead changes. Neither team was able
to open an advantage of larger than four points and both of those
were early. Rochester was paced by sophomore guard Melissa Alwardt
(Greece, N.Y./Greece Athena), who had 11 points, including three
3-pointers, in the first, while Brandeis junior guard
Jessica Chapin (Mendon, N.Y./Honeoye Falls-Lima)
and sophomore reserve Amber Strodthoff (DePere,
Wisc./DePere) had six points apiece for the Judges. Senior Alex
Porter (Rockville, Md./Walter Johnson) had seven boards in the
first for Rochester, while Chapin and senior Cassidy
Dadaos (Healdsburg, Calif./Healdsburg) had four each for
Brandeis.
The teams traded buckets out of the intermission, but Rochester
answered with back-to-back trifectas by junior guard Jessica
Mastronardi (Kendall Park, N.J./So. Brunswick) and Alwardt. Senior
forward Julie Marriott (Fairport, N.Y./Fairport) and Porter each
connected twice from the line to cap the 12-2 run and give the
visitors a 41-31 lead with 16:12 remaining. Chapin answered with a
long 3-pointer to briefly stay the momentum, but a Alwardt lay-up
and two more Porter freebies gave UR and 11 point edge, 45-34, with
just 4:50 gone in the second.
Still down 11, the Judges scored six in a row, including a pair
of nice post moves by junior reserve forward Kasey
Gieschen (Boonton Township, N.J./Mountain Lakes) that cut
the lead to 47-42 with 10:18 left. Rochester responded with a 9-2
run, with five points coming from Marriott and a Jodie Luther
(Gibsonia, Pa./Hampton) jumper giving the 'Jackets a 56-44 lead
with 6:54 remaining.
Brandeis made its strongest push at that point, with Chapin
putting the team on her back. Over the next 3:13, the Judges
outscored Rochester, 12-2, with Chapin accounting for seven of the
points and Strodthoff the other five. Strodhoff's steal followed by
a Chapin 3-pointer with 3:42 left got the hosts within 58-56.
Brandeis forced a turnover on the next Rochester possession, but
could not convert. Alwardt then came down and connected from beyond
the arc to push the lead to five, 61-56, with 2:24 left. Brandeis
hit one-of-two from the line, while Alwardt hit twice on the other
end to give Rochester a 63-57 lead with just under two minutes
left. Brandeis sophomore Diana Cincotta (W.
Boylston, Mass./W. Boylston) connected from deep to get the Judges
back within a possession, 63-60, and again the Judges got a stop,
but a crucial turnover denied them the opportunity to get any
closer, as the Yellowjackets connected on 3-of-4 free throws late
to take the 66-62 victory.
For the game, Chapin finished with 20 points for the Judges, 14
coming in the second half. She also grabbed a team-high eight
rebounds, one shy of her career-high. Chapin hit 8-of-12 from the
field, 2-of-4 from 3-point range and 2-of-3 from the line.
Strodhoff was the only other Brandeis player to score in double
figures with 11 points, hitting all five of her shots from the
floor and her only free throw attempt. The Judges shot 51% from the
field, matching their second-best total of the season, and won the
battle of the boards, 31-29, but were unable to overcome their 20
turnovers, which was one shy of a season-high.
For Rochester, Alwardt finished with game-high honors with 21
points, 11 in the first and 10 in the second. She connected on
6-of-10 overall, including 5-of-8 from deep and 4-of-5 from the
line. Luther came off the bench with 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting.
Porter finished with a game-high 13 rebounds and five steals. The
Yellowjackets outscored Brandeis, 8-4, from 3-point range and 14-8
from the free-throw line to overcome Brandeis's 26-18 edge in
points in the paint.
Brandeis will next take on Carnegie Mellon University on Sunday
afternoon at 2:00 p.m., while Rochester travels to their
second-straight unbeaten foe, New York University, at the same
time.
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