| Tim Chung, making just his
second start of the season, hit four 3-pointers and played 35
minutes in Case's stunning road win. Case athletics file photo |
Junior guard Tim Chung scored a game-high 21 points to lead a short-handed Case Western Reserve University men's basketball team to a shocking 57-51 upset at No. 6 nationally ranked University of Rochester in Sunday matinee action at the Palestra.
The Spartans improve their season mark to 12-12 overall (5-8 UAA) heading into the season finale next Saturday, Feb. 23. The Yellowjackets fall to 21-3 (10-3).
Case was playing without four starters. Keegan Pace, who had not scored a point all season, played 36 minutes. Matt Clark, who had played just 36 minutes all season, was the only player to see action off the bench for the Spartans.
Chung hit four 3-pointers in the game and grabbed a career-high seven rebounds. Junior center David Thompson aided the win with 14 points, a career-high 14 rebounds and two blocked shots. Freshman guard Spencer Boyd also had a career day with 10 points and seven boards.
Overall, the Spartans played only six players in the game. Those half-dozen Spartans held Rochester to just 33.8 percent shooting (22-of-65), including 12% (3-of-25) from 3-point range. NCAA Division III Player of the Year candidate John DiBartolomeo was also limited to just 10 points without a triple.
In the first half, the Spartans rode an early 7-2 run and led 7-4 when Chung hit one-of-two free throws at the 13:18 mark. The Yellowjackets came back with nine in a row and grabbed a 13-7 lead following a layup by Tyler Sankes layup at 10:52. Then with the score at 17-12, Case came back with five straight and tied the game when Chung hit a 3-pointer with 5:59 on the clock. The Spartans would lead again, at 20-19, when Thompson converted an "old-fashioned" three-point play at 5:16, but Rochester was able to end the period on a 7-3 run as neither team scored in the final 2:31.
In the second, Rochester scored the first four and led by a high of seven, 30-23, as Nate Vernon hit back-to-back jumpers at 19:41 and 18:58. However, Case rallied later in the period with a 7-0 run that put the visitors on top 37-34 as Thompson nailed a jumper with 12:21 left to play.
The Yellowjackets briefly knotted the score at 40-40, but the Spartans answered again with a quick 8-0 spurt that culminated in a Chung triple with 6:18 remaining. Rochester trimmed the deficit to two with an 8-2 run as Sankes hit a layup at 2:36, but Thompson put the Spartans back up four with a jumper at 2:10. After scoreless possessions for each side, the Yellowjackets got within one when Kevin Sheehy hit a three with 1:01 remaining.
On the next trip down the floor, Chung answered Rochester's score with a layup that made the score 54-51 with 38 seconds left in the game. The Spartans then tightened on defense and forced a missed layup that eventually led to Chung hitting the clinching free throws.
The Spartans close out the season in six days vs. rival Carnegie Mellon at 5:00 p.m. at Horsburgh Gymnasium in Cleveland. A victory would give the Spartans a winning season for the first time since 2009-10.