Senior Matt Wiele slammed in a dunk with under ten seconds to play as the University of Rochester men's basketball team earned a 76-74 victory over the University of Chicago on Friday night University Athletic Association matchup at the Louis Alexander Palestra.
After setting a screen on an inbounds play, Wiele cut to the hoop and was left untouched on a terrific play design, with Tomiwa Adetosoye feeding the senior for the game-winning bucket with six seconds left.
Chicago followed by sprinting up the floor and had a chance with Joe Berry getting a good look at a driving layup, but his shot hung on the rim, missed and Wiele swatted away the rebound as the Yellowjackets picked up win number ten on the season.
Rochester moves to 10-11 on the year and 4-6 in the UAA, completing the first season-sweep over the Maroons since the 2015-16 season. With the loss, Chicago drops to 13-8 overall and 5-5 in the conference.
The Yellowjackets star of the day was sophomore Corvin Oprea who poured in a career-high 27 points off the bench. Oprea sank 9-of-13 shots overall, made a career-high 5 trey's and added 5 rebounds. His point total was the second most by a UR player this season.
Wiele stuffed the stat sheet, ending with 15 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 block. First-year Malachi Moore chipped in 14 on 6-of-8 shooting, helping the 'Jacket bench outscore the Maroon reserves 48-13.
Chicago's leading scorer was Bryce Hopkins who had 21 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists. Berry added 12 points and six boards, while Thomas Kurowski recorded 10 points.
Overall, the game was a back-and-forth affair, with 15 lead changes and five ties. Neither team led by more than seven points, with Rochester needing to rally from seven points down in the second half to secure the win.
Rochester's biggest lead of the night came near the midway point of the first half, with an Oprea 3-pointer putting the Yellowjackets up 22-16.
The Maroons finished the opening half strong, outscoring Rochester 13-5 over the final four and a half minutes to head into the locker room up by three, leading 40-37.
After intermission, Hopkins led an early Chicago spurt, scoring his teams first six points to help build the visitors lead to seven, 46-39 with 17:14 left in the game.
Oprea and Moore combined for the next 14 points for the Yellowjackets over a three-minute span, leading to a 14-4 run which gave Rochester a three-point lead. Oprea drained a pair of triples and Moore added third in the rush as Rochester combined to shoot 50% (6-for-12) from distance in the second half.
Hopkins recorded a layup for Chicago at the other end, but C.J. Amsellem answered back with a 3-pointer from the top of the key for Rochester.
Chicago's big man, Arrish Bhandal, showed his range for the Maroons though, swishing a triple through on the next possession to keep the game tight.
Two Berry layups and a, Alexander Battist bucket allowed the Maroons to edge in front by one, but Rochester's Moore hit another big three with 8:38 left, regaining the lead for the home team.
UC again tied the score after Hopkins sank a hook shot, but Oprea and Wiele scored the next five points to allow the Yellowjackets to regain a cushion on the scoreboard. Oprea hit an old-fashioned 3-point play inside and Wiele added two free throws to put Rochester up 68-63 with 7:37 remaining.
Chicago rallied with six straight points and took the lead following a Bhandal layup, but Adetosoye scored two of his seven points on Rochester's next chance to once again put the Yellowjackets in front.
Rochester got two stops and extended the margin to three on a tough layup inside from Wiele as the clock ticked under four minutes.
Berry kept the visitors within range with a layup, and after a rare Oprea missed three, Eamonn Kenah swished one through to put Chicago in front 74-72 with 3:04 remaining.
The next UR possession saw the Yellowjackets turn it over, with UC's Hopkins coming away with the steal. Fortunately for the 'Jackets, Kenah's heat check missed as he clanked a 3-pointer off the rim, with Logan Jagodzinski securing the rebound.
At the other end, Wiele found Oprea on a handoff play for a long jumper and the score was tied back up at 74-all.
Chicago and Rochester traded empty possessions the next two trips, and after Hopkins followed with a miss on a reverse layup inside, the Yellowjackets had possession with 45 seconds left.
The 'Jackets called timeout, and after a UC foul, a contested initial shot with eight seconds on the clock by Wiele was blocked away by Hopkins inside.
Rochester retained the ball on the rebound out of bounds and called another timeout to set up the game-winning bucket.
For the night, the Yellowjackets shot over 50% from the floor, making 29-of-57 shots. Chicago was near that number as well, hitting 48.5% (32-66). UR ended up making 8-for-21 from 3-point range while UC needed 19 attempts to make six triples.
UR is back in action on Sunday afternoon against Washington University in St. Louis for the final home game of the season. Prior to the start of the contest, UR's three graduate students, two fifth-year players and two seniors will be honored on Senior Day.