ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Chris Dende sank a tying three-point goal at the regulation buzzer and the University of Rochester went on to a 72-64 overtime victory over Carnegie Mellon University at the Louis Alexander Palestra.
John DiBartolomeo scored seven points in overtime and Dende added a clinching three-pointer with 12 seconds left in OT to seal the win. Dende led the Yellowjackets (11-5, 2-3 University Athletic Association) with 16 points. DiBartolomeo had 14 points, nine rebounds, five assists, and three steals. Nate Novosel scored 11 points.
Rashaun Riley scored 20 points for Carnegie Mellon (6-10, 1-4 UAA) including four three-pointers. Christian Manioli scored 16 points. Joe Kromka had 11, and Andre Moore scored 10.
Manioli made two key plays in the dying seconds of regulation. Riley's layup gave CMU a 60-59 lead with 10 seconds to play. As Rochester rushed the ball upcourt, Marcus Williams was whistled for an offensive foul trying to set a screen. The Tartans inbounded near midcourt. Manioli caught Riley's pass and drove for a layup and a 62-59 lead with three seconds left.
Rochester threw long to Williams at the foul line. He pitched it wide to Tyler Siedman whose three-pointer was blocked by Manioli out of bounds in front of the Rochester bench with 0:00.6 left.
After a timeout, DiBartolomeo inbounded to Dende 24 feet from the basket to the right of the arc. The horn sounded with the ball in the air. The ball banked off the backboard and into the net, tying the score at 62-62.
In OT, the score was tied at 64-64 when DiBartolomeo hit a three-pointer from the top of the key. CMU missed the front end of a one-and-one with 1:21 left. DiBartolomeo missed a three-pointer in the final minute, but stole the ball back. His pass found Dende for a three-pointer from the right corner with 12 seconds left. That made it 70-64 and two DiBartolomeo free throws clinched it.
CMU used pinpoint three-point shooting in the first half (the Tartans made five of their first seven) to build a 13-point lead, 25-12, with 7:02 left in the first half. The lead was six at halftime. In the second half, Riley and John Duhring hit back to back treys, building the lead to 15, 47-32, six minutes in.
Rochester found its three-point touch with Nate Vernon hitting a pair, Dende and Seidman one each. Seidman's basket pulled Rochester within 54-52 with 5:29 left. With CMU up six, Novosel scored four points – a layup and two free throws – around a DiBartolomeo trey. The Yellowjackets had their first lead, 59-58, since the opening moments.