The Case Western Reserve University men's basketball team, ranked 24th in Division III, outscored the University of Rochester 39-23 in the second half of their game on Sunday, en route to a 74-61 win over the Yellowjackets at Horsburgh Gymnasium.
The Spartans bounced back quickly from their loss on Friday night, improving to 13-2 overall and to 3-1 in University Athletic Association games. Rochester fell to 10-5 on the year with a 2-3 record in league play.
Graduate student guard Mitch Prendergast led all CWRU scorers with 20 points, shooting eight-of-13 overall and four-of-six from three-point range. It was his fourth effort of 20 or more points this season.
Senior guard Robert Faller added 11 points, five rebounds, three assists and four steals, while graduate student forward Brian Hines and junior forward Cole Frilling each had 10 points and a pair of blocks. Hines also led all Spartan players with seven rebounds, and graduate student guard Griffin Kornaker paced the Spartans with four assists and chipped in three steals.
In addition, sophomore forward Hunter Drenth came off the bench to shoot four-for-four and score all of his nine points in the final eight minutes of the game, helping boost the Spartans to the win.
The Spartans opened up a seesaw first half hot from the floor, connecting on seven of their first nine shots. Prendergast scored eight of his 13 first half points over the first six and a half minutes of the game, helping CWRU take a 17-5 lead by the 13:13 mark, before Rochester responded with a 16-0 run of its own over the next five minutes to go ahead 21-17 with 8:04 remaining in the half. The Yellowjackets went ahead by seven points, 29-22, with 5:29 to go in the first half, but CWRU trimmed the margin and tied the game at 33-33 on a free throw by senior forward Ryan Newton with 56 seconds remaining in the half. But, the Spartans would not be able to regain the lead in the half, and Rochester took a 38-35 lead into the break.
CWRU quickly grabbed a lead in the second half, scoring the first six points of the period on a pair of layups by Hines, and a third by Faller. The game remained close for the majority of the half, but, trailing 55-53 with 7:53 to play, Prendergast tied the game on a layup, and then setup a go-ahead three by Drenth with a steal to put CWRU back in front, 58-55, with 7:17 left. CWRU pulled away late, closing out the game on a 21-6 run over the final nine minutes to seal the victory. CWRU's 13-point lead at the end of the game was their largest of the contest.
CWRU finished the game shooting 55.8% overall (29-of-52), including 58.6% (17-of-29) in the second half alone. The Spartans also hit 40.0% (eight-of-20) of their shots from behind the three-point line.
The Spartans will continue their four-game home stand next weekend, as Case Western Reserve will welcome the University of Chicago Maroons to Horsburgh Gymnasium on Friday, January 28. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.