ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The University of Rochester used a 22-2 rip straddling both sides of halftime to go on to a 75-64 victory over the University of Chicago at the Louis Alexander Palestra on Sunday afternoon.
Chicago pulled within 25-21 on a bucket by Stephanie Anderson with four minutes left in the second half. Rochester's Al Leslie made two free throws to start an 8-0 run that closed the first half. Leslie had three points in the burst as did Brynn Lauer.
At the start of the third quarter, Kayla Kibling and Sarah Kaminsky scored five points apiece in a 14-2 run over the first four minutes. That opened a 47-23 lead for Rochester. It grew to 29 points late in the quarter. Rochester led, 60-35, through three periods.
Chicago took advantage of Rochester's slow start in the fourth quarter to chop away at the deficit. The Maroons used an 18-3 flurry of their own, getting withon 12, 65-53, on a conventional three-point play by Elizabeth Nye with two minutes left. Chicago narrowed it to eight points twice, the last time at 68-60 with 44 seconds remaing, and finally down to seven. Leslie sank four free throws in the last 20 seconds to clinch the victory.
The win boosted Rochester's record to 17-3 overall, 7-2 in the University Athletic Association. Chicago is 12-8, 4-5 in the UAA. Rochester remains tied for first place in the UAA with Washington (MO) University. The Yellowjackets edged the Bears on Friday night to pull into a three-team tie for first place.
Washington defeated Emory, 72-69, in Atlanta on Sunday. NYU was upset at Carnegie Mellon, 67-65. The Violets are 17-3 overall, 6-3 in the UAA. NYU comes to Rochester on Sunday.
Kibling led Rochester with 15 points. She grabbed six rebounds. Leslie had 13 points and 10 rebounds, her 11th double-double of the season. Kaminsky and Kelsey Hurley scored nine points each. Hurley had four boards, two assists, two blocked shots, and three steals.
Nye scored a game-high 21 points for Chicago to accompany five rebounds. Olariche Obi had 15 points, nine rebounds, two assists, one block, and four steals. Rachel West had eight points and Anderson scored seven.