Abby Gress' potential game-tying layup rimmed out and the University of Rochester women's basketball fell to the Emory University Eagles, 55-53, in their final game of the regular season on Saturday at the Louis Alexander Palestra.
With the loss, UR wraps up the regular season at 16-9 (6-8 UAA), while the Eagles move to 17-7 (8-6 UAA) on the year.
Mariane Auza got the scoring started for Emory, as the Eagles jumped out to an early, 6-0 lead. Katie Titus got Rochester on the scoreboard with her triple just under two minutes into the first quarter, but Claire Brock answered with a three of her own on the other end, extending's Emory's lead.
Rochester and Emory traded buckets over the next two minutes, with Titus matching buckets by Morgan Laudick and Brock, but the Eagles would hold UR without a field goal over the final six minutes of the first, taking a 19-8 lead after one.
The Eagles shot 47.4 percent in the opening period, compared to just 23.1 percent for UR, but the 'Jackets would get things going in the second.
Titus got Rochester started in the second quarter with a pair of free throws, but Brock answered with a three-point play, giving Emory its largest lead of the afternoon, 22-10, just 48 seconds into the second quarter.
From there though, the 'Jackets turned things on both offensively and defensively, with back-to-back threes by Titus and Callie McCulley kickstarting a 19-5 UR run. Rochester held Emory to just 2-for-15 from the field over the final eight-plus minutes of the second, roaring back from down 12 to take a two-point lead into the locker room.
Izzy Munson answered Titus and McCulley's back-to-back threes with a jumper, putting Emory up eight with 7:51 left in the first half, but Maura Leverone connected on a layup to bring Rochester within six before three-straight free throws from Titus and Hailey Bruneau brought the 'Jackets within a possession, 24-21.
Daniella Aronsky again answered for the Eagles with a three, but that would be Emory's last bucket till the start of the third. Titus' layup brought UR within four, and McCulley hit a jumper to make it a two-point game before Paige Gaynier tied things up at 27-all with her layup with 1:52 remaining in the first half.
McCulley would add another bucket with 1:15 left in the half, and UR would take a 29-27 lead into the locker room after outscoring Emory, 21-8 in the second, shooting 46.7 percent compared to just 16.7 for the Eagles.
Emory though, quickly came out of the locker room with a run of their own, tying the score at 29-29 and again at 31-all on a pair of jumpers from Erin Martin, before Martin and Munson combined for four-straight to give Emory a four-point lead.
After nearly two minutes of scoreless basketball, two Leverone free throws brought UR back within two, 35-33 with 3:58 left in the third, but two more from the Eagles made it a six-point lead.
Again though, Rochester made a run, scoring six straight over the next 1:19 to even the score at 39-all with less than a minute to play in the third. Bruneau's layoff off Stites' assist got UR rolling, while Stites' layup evened the score at 39.
Aronsky then hit two free throws to put Emory back up two, but Gaynier knocked down a three with time expiring to end the third and give UR a 42-41 lead heading to the fourth.
The two sides traded leads to start the fourth before Brock's driving layup and an Aronsky three gave the Eagles the lead for good.
Down five, Rochester struggled to find their range, shooting just 1-for-15 in the fourth, scoring all but two of their fourth-quarter points from the free-throw line.
McCulley pulled UR within four, going 1-for-2 at the line, but Martin had an answer on the other end, and Emory extended their lead to six.
Down the stretch, McCulley and Titus hit their free throws, making it a one-possession game, 55-53, and after the Yellowjackets got a stop on a missed three by Katherine Martini, UR called a timeout with 2.9 seconds left, with a chance to walk things off or send the game to overtime.
But Gress' jumper bounced around but didn't fall, and Emory held on for the 55-53 victory.
Titus and McCulley led UR with a pair of double-doubles, Titus with 20 points, 11 rebounds, four steals, two assists and two blocks, while McCulley scored 13 points to go along with 10 rebounds, three assists and three blocks.
As a team, Rochester shot just 28.6 percent from the field, their worst shooting performance of the year, and 68.0 percent (17-for-25) from the free throw line, while Emory shot 34.4 percent, and 8-for-8 from the line.
The Yellowjackets now await a potential postseason berth, with the 2023 NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Tournament Selection Show scheduled for Monday, Feb. 27 at 2:30 p.m.