ITHACA, NY – The University of Rochester men's basketball team rallied from as many as 14 points down in the second half and picked up an 81-76 overtime victory on the road at Ithaca College on Tuesday evening.
Junior Mitchell Kershner sank a big 3-pointer in the final 20 seconds of regulation to pull the Yellowjackets (7-2) even at 72-all, tying the game for the first time since the first half. UR then defended an Ithaca buzzer-beating shot to send the teams to overtime.
In the extra period, Rochester held the Bombers (4-3) to just one field goal, clamping down on defense, much like they did in the second half, leading to the deficit being trimmed down. Overall in the contest, Rochester shot 53.7% (29-54) from the field compared to Ithaca's 39.7% (29-73).
Trent Noordsij finished as Rochester's leading scorer on the night, scoring a season-high 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting. He grabbed six boards and added three steals. It was Noordsij's layup and one with 3:30 remaining in overtime that gave the Yellowjackets their first lead since being up 34-32 with five minutes left in the opening half.
Joining Noordsij in double-figures was a trio of Yellowjackets with 13 points. Ross Gang was one of them to go along with 9 rebounds and 6 assists, while Dan Masino posted a nearly identical stat line with 13 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists. Brian Amabilino Perez also added 13 points for UR.
Ithaca's Skylar Sinon led all players with 29 points, including all four of the Bombers points in overtime. He was 12-of-20 from the floor, had three rebounds and sank a pair of 3-pointers. Luka Radovich was the only other Bomber player in double-figures, scoring 14 points to go along with six rebounds. Zach Warech added nine points on three triples and Logan Wendell added seven points.
The big stretch of the game for Rochester was an 11-0 run spanning nearly six minutes in the second half, trimming a 14-point Ithaca lead down to just three with 9:48 to play in regulation. During the stretch, Ithaca was 0-for-11 from the field.
Matt Niemczura scored six points in the run, including a shot clock beating 3-pointer from the corner, while Dan Masino added three and Gang chipped in a layup.
Ithaca quickly build the lead back up to six at 62-56 following a Radovich jumper, but Noordsij sank a triple from the corner to cut the lead in half with seven minutes left.
Masino sank two free throws and followed with an assist to Amabilino Perez inside and the score was 64-63 Ithaca with five minutes left.
Three more times over the next four minutes, Rochester pulled within one, but the Bombers would answer, nudging back ahead by three each time. UR's final possession of the half ended with the score tied after Kershner's long rainbow 3-pointer from straightaway.
Sinon tried to end it in regulation for the Bombers, but his shot bounced off the rim with Noordsij securing the rebound as the buzzer sounded.
In the first half, both teams started out shooting well, including from long range. Over the first ten minutes of the game, the score was tied 22-all, with UR being 9-of-15 from the floor with four 3-pointers. Ithaca over that span was 6-of-9 from 3-point range and shooting 50% overall.
Both teams stayed close over the next five minutes, with UR going up 34-32 with 5:10 left in the half following a Kershner layup inside.
Ithaca closed the half on a 13-5 run, with Sinon and Radovich providing all the scoring to head into intermission with a six-point lead, up 45-39.
Rochester started slow in the second half, making just one of its first four shots and committing three turnovers, allowing the Bombers to reach the game's biggest lead up 57-43 with 16:12 remaining.
UR is now off for the holiday break as the 2021 schedule of games comes to a close. The Yellowjackets return to action on January 2nd playing at DePauw University. The game against the Tigers will be the first matchup between UR and DePauw since the schools met in the 1990 NCAA Division III National Championship game. Rochester emerged in that one with a 43-42 win to claim its only men's basketball national title in program history.