ROCHESTER, N.Y. - Visiting Case Western Reserve University held the University of Rochester scoreless over the final 3:23 and went on to a 75-72 victory over the sixth-ranked Yellowjackets at the Louis Alexander Palestra on Sunday afternoon.
 
It was just the third loss of the year for the Yellowjackets (21-3 overall, 10-3 University Athletic Association) and it determined the UAA playoff race. Washington University defeated Brandeis, 95-91, in Waltham, MA on Sunday to clinch the UAA title and automatic bid. Washington is 12-1 with one game left. Rochester and Washington swapped road victories this season.
 
Rochester has been ranked number one in the East Region by the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Committee for the first two polls. The third poll will be issued this Wednesday. UR finishes the regular season at Emory University in Atlanta. Emory is fourth in the UAA with an 8-5 mark (17-7 overall). The Eagles are trying to earn a Pool C (at-large) invitation to the NCAA tournament. A win over Rochester might accomplish that.
 
This victory was the third win in the last four games for Case (8-16, 3-10 UAA). Colin Zucker scored 27 points and grabbed seven rebounds. He hit six three-pointers in 15 attempts. Connor Nally hit five of 11 outside the arc enroute to 19 points. He grabbed eight rebounds. Javier Alvarez had 13 points for Case to go with seven rebounds, three assists, and four steals.
 
As a team, Case broke the Palestra record for three-point attempts. The Spartans made 13 in 46 tries. CWRU held the previous record of 41 attempts – set last season. Rochester made only four treys in 24 shots.
 
CWRU hit the boards hard and it paid off. The Spartans collected 19 offensive rebounds and turned those into 23 second-chance points. Case held a 45-41 overall edge on the glass.
 
Jacob Wittig scored 20 points for Rochester. Zack Ayers had 16 points. Sam Borst-Smith scored 14, and Ryan Clamage had 11.
 
The Yellowjackets couldn't string together any offensive consistency. Their longest scoring outburst was eight points – two free throws apiece by Mack Montague and Borst-Smith, a reverse layup by Wittig, and a backdoor layup by Andrew Lundstrom. It put UR up, 50-48.
 
Zucker scored five points in 26 seconds. He swished a three-pointer from right wing to restore the lead (51-50) and added two free throws after a Lundstrom foul for a 53-50 lead with 13:35 on the clock.
 
Neither team could get more than a two or three-point edge over the last 13 minutes. Zucker's sixth three-pointer came with 4:33 left. He missed an attempt, got his own rebound, worked his way outside the arc on left wing and connected this time. It broke a 67-all tie. Rochester used two free throws from Wittig and a three-pointer by Borst-Smith to take a 72-70 lead with 3:23 left.
 
Alvarez drilled a three-pointer with 3:04 left (73-72 Case) and after Montague missed a jumper for Rochester, Nally grabbed two big rebounds. He collected the defensive board. When Zucker missed a layup, Nally fought for the rebound and the followup, 75-72 with 2:30 left.
 
After a series of misses at both ends, Zucker made the front end of a two-shot foul for the 76-72 lead with 17 seconds left. Rochester missed two more three-point shots. Alvarez collected the second one and was fouled with five seconds remaining. He missed the one-and-one with 0:01 on the clock, but it didn't matter.