WALTHAM, MA – Backed by a strong performance from the starting five players, the University of Rochester women's basketball team earned a hard-fought 78-60 win over Brandeis University in a UAA conference matchup on Sunday afternoon at Red Auerbach Arena.
Rochester (9-9, 4-3 UAA) was led by Hannah Lindemuth who scored 22 points, making 6-of-8 3-pointers in the win. Abby Gress scored 19 points and had 7 rebounds, shooting 7-for-11 from the field. UR's other remaining starting five players, Rylee Drahos, Haley Dumiak and Callie McCulley all scored at least six points to have the starters combine for 61 points.
Only one player from Brandeis (4-14, 0-7 UAA) reached double-digit scoring, with Caitlin Gresko scoring ten points.
The Yellowjacket defense combined to hold the Judges to just 34% shooting in the game, as Brandeis made 22-of-64 shots. UR meanwhile, made 47% from the field (29-62) and 3-point range (8-17) in the victory. Rochester did struggle from the charity stripe though, making just 12-of-30 attempts, a 40% clip.
Rochester committed just six turnovers in the loss, a season-low, while distributing 19 assists. McCulley handled five assists, while Franki Gomes added four off the bench. On the glass, UR edged Brandeis 43-41, with Drahos' eight leading the Yellowjakcets. Gress and Tia Poulakidas finished with seven.
After a nip-and-tuck opening quarter which saw the Yellowjackets hold a 16-15 lead, Drahos and Lindemuth combined for five points to stretch the UR lead to six after one minute in the second stanza.
Brandeis scored the next seven points, aided by a Gresko 3-pointer, to edge in front by a point with 7:09 left in the half. She hit another on the next Judges possession and Brandeis held a 25-23 lead.
Down the stretch in the second quarter, a Dumiak 3-pointer started a 9-2 run for Rochester over the final 2:28 to allow the Yellowjackets to lead by seven at intermission, 38-31.
The run stretched to 15-2 after the opening few minutes of the third quarter as Rochester scored the first six points after the halftime break. Gress hit an old-fashioned 3-point play, while Lindemuth again drained a triple to put UR in front 44-31.
UR's lead remaining in double-digits for much of the remaining time of the third quarter, with two Kat Jenks free throws boosting the lead back to 13 as the teams headed into the fourth.
Brandeis started the fourth quarter with a 3-pointer from Francesca Marchese to cut the deficit to ten, but Gress and Lindemuth combined for a 9-2 run themselves over the next three minutes to extend the Yellowjacket lead once again, eventually cruising to the 18-point victory.
UR's double-digit win was its third in the last four games and sixth this season. The Yellowjackets committing only six turnovers was the fewest in nearly two years, with Rochester last matching that number on February 6, 2022, also at Brandeis.
Next weekend, UR hosts NYU and Brandeis as the UAA calendar flips over to the second half of the season.