NORTH CHILI, N.Y. – Third-seeded SUNY Geneseo went on a 19-7 run over the last 10 minutes of play to rally for a 48-44 victory over the second-seeded University of Rochester in the semifinals of the Wendy's College Classic women's basketball tournament at Roberts Wesleyan College.
The result means that for the first time since the 2004-05 season, the women's tournament will crown a new champion. Rochester won eight straight tournament titles and 10 of the last 11 championships. The Yellowjackets defeated Geneseo, 60-58, in last year's championship game, held at the Louis Alexander Palestra.
Rochester had a 25-game Wendy's winning streak snapped. The Yellowjackets won three games in each of the past eight seasons, and defeated the College at Brockport, 56-46, in Tuesday's opening round. Rochester is 4-3 overall. The Yellowjackets had a three-game win streak snapped.
Geneseo is unbeaten at 4-0. Nine of the last 10 games between Rochester and Geneseo have come in the Wendy's Classic. Saturday's championship game will begin at 5:30 pm. Rochester will play in the third place game at 1 pm.
Shannon McGinnis and Allison McKenna combined for 10 points – five apiece – in the game-deciding run. They hit back to back three-pointers to push the Blue Knights in front, 39-38, for the first time since seven minutes were left in the opening half.
McGinnis led all scorers with 18 points. She grabbed nine rebounds and blocked one shot. McKenna had seven points, five boards, and four blocks. Biz Reinhardt grabbed 12 rebounds, eight offensive, and scored six points. Dana Cohan scored nine points and had five assists.
Blair Landolfi scored a career high 13 points for Rochester, hitting three three-point goals. She was Rochester's one consistent shooter, making five of 11 overall, three of six outside the arc. Loren Wagner scored nine points and grabbed 14 rebounds. Sarah Kaminsky had seven points. Ally Zywicki scored five, registered five assists, and made two steals.
A layup by McGinnis gave Geneseo a 19-17 lead with seven minutes left in the first half. Landolfi sank a three from the top of the key. Kelsey Hurley made a layup, Landolfi hit another runner, and Kaminsky sank two free throws for a 26-21 Rochester lead at halftime. Geneseo's only points in the run came on a pair of Cohan free throws.
Five Yellowjackets contributed to an 11-2 run that pushed Rochester into its largest lead, 37-29, with 11 minutes remaining. The Yellowjckets went cold and Geneseo scored 10 straight over two and a half minutes. Cohan connected from the top of the key. McGinnis twisted in for a layup. McKenna and McGinnis made treys 42 seconds apart. That gave Geneseo a 39-37 lead with 7:40 left.
Danielle McNabb made a 10-footer in the lane and Landolfi sank her third trey of the night, this one to the right of the key as Rochester went back ahead, 42-41, with five minutes left.
Two free throws by Katie Durand and a foul line jumper by Cohan – that just beat the shot clock – put the Knights on top by three, 45-42. Landolfi's jumper in the lane brought Rochester within a point (45-44). After a lengthy scoreless exchange, the Yellowjackets had to foul Cohan with 11.8 seconds left. She made the front end of the one-and-one. She missed the second, but Rochester could not corral the rebound. After the inbounds pass, McKenna was fouled and sank both free throws with less than 10 seconds to play.
Rochester shot 21% from the floor in the second half (7-33) and made two of eight outside the arc. The Yellowjackets were 2-6 from the line. Geneseo hit 10 of 28 floor shots (36%), two of nine outside the arc (22%) and five of six from the line. Geneseo held a 44-41 edge on the glass.