Alex Foster scored 26 of his game-high 34 points in the second half as Emory University pulled away for an 84-69 victory over the University of Rochester at the Louis Alexander Palestra on Saturday afternoon.

It was the University Athletic Association opener for both teams. Emory improved to 11-1 overall, 1-0 UAA. Rochester is 4-8, 0-1 UAA. Emory is ranked No. 6 in the current DIvision III poll conducted by D3hoops.com.

Foster hit 15 of 28 shots from the floor, four of eight outside the arc. He added 13 rebounds, three assists, and one steal. Josh Schattie scored 14 points for Emory. Michael Florin had nine points and eight assists.

Sam Borst-Smith and Dylan Peretz scored 16 points apiece for Rochester. Borst-Smith added six assists. Peretz had nine rebounds. Jared Seltzer scored 12 points.

Emory led early before Rochester used a 10-0 run over three minutes to take a 19-12 lead with 13:47 left in the first half. Zack Ayers made a pair of layups. Borst-Smith and Tyler Seidman sank three-pointers.

The Yellowjackets held onto that lead until Austin DaGue and Foster made layups off the fast break for a 35-31 Eagles' lead with just under three minutes to play. Whit Rapp sank a trey with 26 seconds left to give Emory a 38-37 lead at halftime.

Foster took over in the second half. He scored 10 points in less than four minutes as Emory opened a 15-point lead, 60-45, with just under 14 points to play. Rochester got as close as seven, 74-67, in the last four minutes on a trey from Borst-Smith and a layup by Mack Montague. Foster answered with his fourth three-pointer of the half, then drove for a layup on the break to restore the lead to 12, 79-67, with 2:42 remaining.

It was Emory's first victory over Rochester at the Palestra in 14 years – since the Eagles won, 70-56, on January 21, 2001. The Yellowjackets won 14 straight home games over Emory after that.