ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The University of Rochester shot a season's best 49% from the floor on Sunday afternoon and ran past New York University, 85-55, in a matchup of Top 15 women's basketball teams at the Louis Alexander Palestra.
Rochester sank 27 of 55 floor shots, nine of 23 three-pointers, and made 22 of 25 at the foul line. The 85 points are the most for Rochester in a game since an 88-79 win over St. John Fisher College last year – 41 games ago.
Mary Kronenwetter scored a career-high 15 points in 12 minutes off the bench. She added three blocked shots and five rebounds. Kelsey Hurley scored 12 points in 25 minutes. She sank three three-point field goals, had four rebounds, and two assists. Hurley's 12 points match her season's high.
Al Leslie and Lauren Deming scored 10 points each. Brynn Lauer had nine points and Sarah Kaminsky scored eight. Rochester's reserves scored 45 points.
The Yellowjackets improved to 18-4 overall, 8-3 in the University Athletic Association. Rochester stayed one game behind Washington (MO) in the UAA race. Washington rallied past Carnegie Mellon, 57-54, on Sunday.
NYU lost its fourth straight game, all in the UAA. The Violets are 17-5 overall, 6-5 UAA. The teams were ranked 1-2 (Rochester-NYU) in the East in the first set of regional rankings issued by the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Committee this week.
Megan Dawe led all scorers with 18 points in 20 minutes for NYU. She made 10 of 12 from the foul line. Riley Wurtz was the other Violet in double figures. She had 10 points, two assists, and three steals. Kaitlyn Read scored seven points, had three steals, and seven rebounds. She was limited to 15 minutes on the court due to foul trouble.
NYU made 15 of 62 floor shots (24%). The Violets hit five of 12 outside the arc (42%) and 20 of 27 at the line. NYU scored 19 points off 17 Rochester turnovers. Rochester had nine such points from 13 NYU giveaways.
After a tight first quarter (UR led, 19-16), NYU lost its offensive flow. The Violets made just one of 16 field goal attempts and did not get to the line. Rochester, with the help of four three-pointers (by four different players) scored the first 18 points of the period. It ended with Rochester ahead, 39-18.
The Yellowjackets used a 13-2 spurt late in the third quarter to stretch the lead to 62-30 (62-31 at the end of the period). Kronenwetter scored six points in the burst – a layup and four free throws.