Mitchell Kershner found Matt Wiele for the game-winner with just under seven seconds left, and the University of Rochester men's basketball held on late to open University Athletic Association (UAA) conference play with a 79-77 win over the 22nd-ranked Emory University Eagles on Saturday afternoon inside the Louis Alexander Palestra.
Despite leading by as many as 13 in the second half, the Yellowjackets found themselves up just one, 69-68, with 7:32 to play following a 10-0 Emory run. Matt Niemczura slowed the Eagles' run with a free throw, going 1-for-2 at the line, but AJ Harris, who scored five of the Eagles' 10 points over the 10-0 run, answered with a layup to level the score at 70-all with 5:24 remaining.
Logan Jagodzinski answered on the other end with a layup of his own off Wiele's assist to put Rochester back in the lead. And after the 'Jackets got a stop, Jagodzinski added another and drew a foul, knocking down the free throw to make it a five-point game.
On the next possession, Wiele forced a turnover and headed to the line after a foul by Cale Martens, where he went 1-for-2 to put Rochester up 76-70 with 4:09 to play.
However, the 'Jackets again went cold from the field, going without a bucket for four-plus minutes, as the Eagles made another run to take the lead.
Ben Pearce knocked down two free throws on the ensuing possession to make it a four-point game before Jair Knight slammed home a fast-break dunk a minute and a half later to pull Emory within two.
The score would remain 76-74 until a foul by Kershner sent Logan Shanahan to the line, where he went 1-for-2 to make it a one-point game with under a minute to play. And after Wiele couldn't connect on his jumper with 34 seconds left, Knight found Martens down low for a layup and the lead with 17 seconds left.
But the 'Jackets would inbound the ball and work their way quickly up the court, where Kershner found Wiele on a cut to help UR retake the lead with seven seconds to play.
An offensive foul on the other end then gave the ball back to Rochester, and Malachi Moore converted one of two at the free throw line to make it a 79-77 game. After a timeout by Emory, Shanahan threw the inbounds pass away, but UR gave it right back to Emory with less than a second left.
Emory wasn't able to get a shot off though, and the Yellowjackets would hold onto win, securing their first UAA victory of the season with a 79-77 upset of the 22nd-ranked Eagles.
Both the Eagles and Yellowjackets would trade blows to start the contest, with neither side able to build much of a lead in the early going. The two sides stood tied at 10 following Wiele's triple with 16:40 left in the first, as Wiele scored five-in-a-row to help UR build a 12-10 lead.
Tomiwa Adetosoye added a layup to make it a four-point game, but Pearce and Knight quickly tied the score at 14-all with back-to-back layups with 14:12 until the half.
The Yellowjackets would then make their run, opening up a 10-point lead over the next four minutes behind a 12-2 run. The 'Jackets shot 5-for-7 over the four minutes, while the Eagles shot just 1-for-9 and 0-for-4 from three.
David Ackles and C.J. Amsellem both hit three-pointers over the run, while Jagodzinski added another at the 8:14 mark to make it a 29-18 UR advantage.
The Yellowjackets would lead by as many as 13 in the opening period before six-straight points from Shanahan made it an eight-point game with 1:56 until the halftime buzzer.
Jack Garside would answer with one of his career-high 10 points, and Rochester would take a 42-33 lead at the break, having shot 51.4 percent from the floor, compared to just 35.1 percent from the visitors.
Emory would quickly make it a five-point game to start the second before the Yellowjackets stretched their lead out to its largest of the afternoon over the next six minutes.
Up nine, 57-48 with 15 minutes to play, Wiele connected on another three, one of his three makes on the day, and Garside hit another floater to extend UR's lead back to double digits. And after two Emory free throws, buckets by Niemczura and Kersher gave the Yellowjackets their largest lead of the second half, 63-50, with 12:31 to play.
With the win, Rochester opens UAA play with a win, moving to 7-5 (1-0 UAA) on the year, while the 22nd-ranked Eagles dropped to 9-3 (0-1 UAA).
Wiele led the 'Jackets with 24 points, adding six rebounds and a team-high five assists, while Jagodzinski and Garside also scored double figures, tallying 11 and a career-high 10 points apiece.
Jagodzinski added 14 rebounds for his second double-double of the year, while Adetosoye and Kershner each added two steals on the defensive end, and Ackles notched a team-high two blocks.
For the Eagles, Knight led all scorers with 27 points, adding 12 rebounds, four steals, two assists and two blocks.
UR shot 46.4 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from three, while the Eagles shot 40.3 percent and connected on 7-of-32 three-point attempts. Rochester also outrebounded Emory, 49-36, including 33-24 on the defensive glass.
The Yellowjackets next hit the road for the first time in conference play, traveling to Chicago, IL to kick off a UAA weekend with a Friday evening matchup against the Maroons on Jan. 12 at 7:30 p.m. CT.