ST. LOUIS, MO – University of Rochester women's basketball led by as many as 20 in the first half before holding off a late charge to defeat the 25th-ranked Washington University in St. Louis Bears, 75-71, on Sunday afternoon inside the WashU Fieldhouse to earn their first conference win of the season.
While the Bears would score seven of the game's first nine points, the Yellowjackets answered with a huge run, leading by as many as 11 in the opening quarter.
Down 7-2 after Jessica Brooks' three-pointer, UR held WashU scoreless for nearly the next six minutes, while they scored 16 straight on the other end. Hannah Lindemuth answered Brooks' triple with a jumper before layups from Callie McCulley and Rylee Drahos gave the 'Jackets an 8-7 lead.
Rochester would add 10 more points, shooting 6-for-8 and 4-for-4 from the free-throw line over the five-and-a-half minute stretch, before the Bears finally got back on the scoreboard at the 1:12 mark on Lexy Harris' jumper.
McCulley would then beat the buzzer on the other end, giving UR a 20-9 lead a the quarter break, and the Yellowjackets would continue to pour it on in the second.
Lindemuth got the second quarter started with a jumper, extending the lead to 22-9 before Abby Gress knocked down the first of two three-pointers to make it a 25-11 Rochester advantage.
UR and WashU would trade buckets for the first four minutes of the second before back-to-back threes from Lindemuth and Gress extended the 'Jackets' lead to 36-17, forcing the Bears to spend a timeout.
Following the Bears' timeout, Kat Jenks went 1-for-2 at the free throw line to give Rochester its largest lead of the night, 37-17, and though the Bears pulled within 12, 39-27, with just over two minutes left in the half, Jenks and Lindemuth went back-to-back from beyond the arc to make it a 45-29 halftime lead.
As a team, the Yellowjackets shot 48.6 percent (17-for-35) in the first half, including 6-for-10 from three, while the Bears shot just 38.2 percent, and 1-for-9 from three.
But the Bears would make a run to start the third, hitting three three-pointers in the span of just two minutes, with Sydney Rogers trey at the 6:07 mark of the third making it a five-point game.
Up 47-42, Gress and Jenks slowed WashU's run, matching the Bears' buckets, but Rogers and Jordan Rich again went back-to-back to bring the Bears within one, before Catherine Goodwin finished off the 23-6 run to open the third with a bucket to give WashU the lead.
Goodwin's layup gave the Bears their first lead since the 6:58 mark of the first quarter and made it a 52-51 ballgame. But the Yellowjackets regrouped out of a timeout and went on a run of their own, holding the Bears scoreless the rest of the frame.
Jenks hit another three to help Rochester retake the lead, kickstarting a 9-0 run that saw Rochester turn a 52-51 deficit into a 60-52 lead at the end of the third.
Haley Dumiak would keep things rolling to start the fourth, knocking down a three to make it a nine-point lead with just under nine minutes to play, but the Bears would get on another run, cutting UR's lead to just four, 63-59, at the 4:30 mark, before Harris' layup made it a two-point game, 65-63, with 2:52 remaining.
On the ensuing possession, Lindemuth answered with a jumper, but Goodwin brought the Bears back within a pair with her jumper on the other end.
A shooting foul then sent Lindemuth to the line, where she went 1-for-2, and after Rogers missed an opportunity for the tie, Gress found Dumiak for an easy bucket to make it a five-point game with under a minute to play.
WashU would again pull within three with a quick bucket from Harris, but after forcing a turnover, the Bears turned it over themselves, forcing them to foul and send UR to the line. McCulley hit her first two to make it a 72-67 lead, and after Rogers scored a layup, Lindemuth hit them both to again make it a five-point lead.
With eight seconds left, Rogers knocked down another jumper, but it'd be too little, too late, as Lindemuth went 1-for-2 at the line to seal the victory and give Rochester its first conference win.
Rochester moves to 6-8 (1-2 UAA) with the win, while No. 25 Washington-St. Louis falls to 8-6 (1-2 UAA) with the loss.
Five 'Jackets scored in double figures, led by Lindemuth's season-high 21 points. Gress added 14 points to go along with four rebounds and three assists, while McCulley scored 12.
Jenks added 11 points, shooting 2-for-2 from beyond the arc, while Drahos notched 10 points and led the 'Jackets with six boards.
For the game, Rochester shot 40.6 percent, a season-best 47.1 percent from three and 11-for-14 from the free-throw line, whereas WashU shot 45.5 percent, but just 28.6 percent from three and 5-for-14 from the charity stripe.
The 'Jackets also turned 20 WashU turnovers into 25 points and outrebounded the Bears, 38-34.
The Yellowjackets next return home for another UAA weekend, hosting Carnegie Mellon on Friday, Jan. 19 at 5:30 p.m., and Case Western Reserve on Sunday, Jan. 21 at 2:00 p.m.