GENESEO, N.Y. – Rochester used its three-point shooting to stay close, but SUNY Geneseo slashed to the basket and wound up posting a 78-72 victory in the second round of the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championships at Schrader Gymnasium on Saturday evening.
 
The win puts the Knights (28-1) into the Sectional Semifinals (aka Sweet 16) at a site and time to be announced by the women's basketball committee. Rochester finished the 2016-17 campaign with an 18-9 overall record. In the first round Friday night, Rochester defeated Keene State College, 67-55, and Geneseo ousted Muhlenberg College, 65-53.
 
Four players hit double figures for Rochester. Alexandra Leslie had 19 points, Sarah Kaminsky scored 16 and hit four of five outside the arc. Lauren Deming scored 14, making six of seven from the floor, and Lizzy Atkinson scored 13 with three three-point goals.
 
Geneseo was led by Kara Houppert. She scored 23 points, including a pair of treys, and handed out five assists. Katie Durand had 13 points and seven rebounds. Kayleigh Cavanaugh scored 11 points.
 
Rochester shot 44% for the game (28-63) and 41% outside the arc (12-29). Kaminsky led the way with four trifectas. Atkinson made three, Deming and Lauren Foley had two, and Brenna James sank one.
 
The Yellowjackets didn't get to the foul line in the second half and were four of six in the first half. Geneseo was 8-12 at the stripe in the first 20 minutes and hit four of five in the third quarter. When Rochester hit the forced-to-foul stage in the last minute, Geneseo hit six of eight. For the game, the hosts made 19 of 26.
 
Rochester had seven offensive rebounds and scored 12 second chance points from the opportunities. The Yellowjackets did a better job taking care of the ball in the second half. Nine first half turnovers led to 15 Geneseo points. Geneseo scored only three points after giveaways in the third quarter and zero in the fourth.
 
The Knights pride themselves on their defense – they hold foes to 32.1% shooting from the floor, 48.6 points per game, and stand 20th in rebound margin at plus 9.3 rpg. versus the opposition. The rebound battle in this game was one board – 34-33 Geneseo.
 
They did a good job of keeping the ball away from Leslie early in the game. She didn't get a shot off until nearly 8 minutes were gone. She drained it – a seven footer in the lane – but Geneseo had a 21-11 edge after the quarter was over.
 
Rochester hit four treys in the second quarter – by Deming, Kaminsky, Atkinson, and Foley – and fought back from a 10-point hole at 33-23) to get within 37-34 at the break. Leslie scored the last five points of the half: a 14 footer in the paint, then three of four at the line.
 
Kaminsky's trey to open the third tied the score at 37-37. Geneseo answered with 10 straight and the team sparred from there. Rochester needed a closing 9-2 run in the period to get witghin 60-51. Geneseo had opened a 16-point margin (58-42) which had the crowd of 700 thinking blowout.
 
UR responded. James nailed a trey from the left corner and Kaminsky sank one from the opposite corner. Suddenly, it was 60-57 and it stayed a one-possession game for one more exchange. Bridgit Ryan hit a 12 footer off the right baseline for Geneseo (the first Knight basket of the quarter with 6:27 left) and Leslie answered with a layup. Rochester went cold. Geneseo ran off 10 of the next 12 points to push in front, 72-61, with 2:57 remaining.
 
Atkinson sank a 19 footer off the left baseline and Kaminsky hit another trey to get it down to six, 72-66, with 1:10 left.