CHICAGO, IL – #15 University of Rochester men's basketball fell to the University of Chicago Maroons, 88-72 on Sunday at the Gerald Ratner Athletics Center.
Ryan Algier got the Yellowjackets on the scoreboard after Arrish Bhandal broke the seal with his layup 1:32 into the first half before Mitchell Kershner knocked down a left-wing three to give Rochester its first lead of the afternoon.
It would be short-lived, however, as the Maroons scored the next three buckets, racing out to a five-point advantage, 10-5, just under four minutes into the first half.
Ross Gang kept things close with the next three scores for UR before Jackson Piotrowski again put Chicago up five with his triple at the 10:00 mark in the first half.
The Yellowjackets though, answered with a run, outscoring the Maroons, 9-2 over the next two minutes to take a 24-22 lead. Matt Wiele and Algier scored back-to-back layups, cutting Chicago's lead to one, and after Bhandal brought the lead back out to three, Gang found Algier down low to again bring UR within one.
And after Bhandal missed on the other end, Wiele knocked down a three-pointer to give the 'Jackets a two-point lead.
However, the Maroons would answer with a run of their own, closing the first half on a 23-6 run, shooting 10-for-12 from the field and 3-for-4 beyond the arc over the seven-minute stretch, while holding Rochester to just three made field goals to take a 45-30 lead at the halftime break.
And though Algier got the Yellowjackets started in the second half with a dunk off Gang's assist, the Maroons kept on rolling, shooting 54.8 percent in the second half, after shooting 60.6 percent in the opening period.
The Maroons led by as many as 27 in the second half and never by less than 15, as they continued to pour it on and eventually finished off the 88-72 victory.
Down the stretch, UR got significant contributions from T.C. Price and Corvin Oprea, as the duo combined for 21 points on 7-for-11 shooting, knocking down five three-pointers as UR attempted to make its comeback.
With the loss, the 15th-ranked Yellowjackets fall to 14-6 (4-5 UAA) on the year, while the Maroons move to 9-11 (2-7 UAA).
Algier led the Yellowjackets with 16 points, adding a team-high seven rebounds. Three other 'Jackets scored in double figures, led by Price's 12, Oprea's 11 and Wiele's 10 points.
Defensively, Wiele notched a team-high three blocks, while Gang recorded seven assists.
The Yellowjackets next head to Cleveland, Ohio on Friday, Feb. 10 to wrap up their home-and-home against the Case Western Reserve University Spartans at 7:30 p.m., before their UAA road finale on Sunday, Feb. 12 at Carnegie Mellon.