BROCKPORT, N.Y. – Charles Dickens is renowned for writing A Tale of Two Cities, but this was clearly a tale of two halves as the University of Rochester rallied to defeat the College of Brockport, 81-73, in the opening round of the Wendy's College Classic on Tuesday night.
 
The victory pushes Rochester (6-0) into Thursday night's semifinals against St. John Fisher College at RIT (6 pm start). Fisher defeated UR in last year's third place game, 72-60. Brockport will play William Smith College at the Palestra at 8 pm on Thursday.
 
Ally Zywicki scored all 22 of her points in the second half to spark the comeback. She was 5 of 7 from the floor (and outside the arc) and 7 of 8 from the foul line. She put up that point total in 13 second half minutes.
 
Al Leslie finished with 15 points, 16 rebounds, and three assists. Lauren Deming contributed 11 points and six boards.
 
Olivia Suhr led Brockport (1-3) with 17 points. Faith Welch scored 13 points. Hannah Rehbaum had 11, and Marissa Pike had 10.
 
In the second half, Rochester made 17 of 36 from the floor, 6 of 10 outside the arc. Brockport was 15 of 35 from the floor, 4 of 13 outside the arc.
 
Rochester's first half shooting was horrendous. The Yellowjackets made just 11 of 37 floor shots, one of 10 outside the arc.  Rochester hit 29.7% from the floor and 10% (1-10) outside the arc. They flexed muscle on the board, outrebounding Brockport  28-20. For the game, Rochester won the board battle, 50-40.
 
Leslie was the halftime scoring leader for Rochester. She had eight points and 13 rebounds in 16 minutes. The halftime board total was a season's high. Breanna Madrazo and Deming scored five points each.
 
The halftime point leader was Yacovoni. She had 10 points, hitting three of three outside the arc and one of two from the line.  Pike and Alyssa Rusinko also made treys for the Golden Eagles. Brockport was 10 of 29 from the floor (34.5%) and 5 of 15 outside the arc (33%).
 
Brockport scored the first six points of the game with Welch hitting a pair of jumpers and  Suhr finishing a fast break with a layup. Rochester missed its first five shots from the floor and turned the ball over four times. The Yellowjackets finally got on the board with 15:20 left when Tylar Guerrieri drove for a layup from Kelsey Hurley.
 
The game swung both ways for the first nine minutes with neither team able to string together a significant run. A trey from Yacovoni put Brockport up, 15-13. Rochester ran off seven straight, five from Leslie, to take a 20-15 lead.
 
A follow by Leslie with four minutes left gave Rochester a 29-23 lead. Brockport closed the half with a 13-2 run.
 
The early part of the second half wasn't much better. Brockport burst to a 10-point , courtesy of a 9-2 sprint that put the Golden Eagles ahead, 49-39.
 
Zywicki hit a trey on the next trip down the floor and that kick-started a 20-3 run over six minutes. Rochester led, 59-52, with just over nine minutes left. The lead went to 13, 72-59, after Leslie completed a three-point play. Brockport crept close, thanks to treys from Suhr and Rehbaum. In the final 78 seconds, Zywicki scored nine points – a trey and six of six from the line – to seal the win.