Backed by career-high scoring performances from Abby Gress and Callie McCulley, the University of Rochester women's basketball team picked up an 83-72 victory over William Smith College on Tuesday evening at the Louis Alexander Palestra.

Rochester's win pushes the Yellowjackets record to 3-2 heading into the early season Thanksgiving break. William Smith falls to 0-4 with the loss, as Rochester has now won four straight meetings and eight of the last nine matchups against the Herons.

Gress finished with 22 points and 14 rebounds, both personal bests as the senior picks up her second straight, and second career double-double effort. McCulley scored a career-high 20, making 7-of-12 shots from the floor, adding 8 rebounds and 2 blocked shots.

Two other Yellowjackets scored in double-figures. Rylee Drahos scored 13 points, including going a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line, while Claire Gorenewoud added 10 points and a team-high five assists. Kat Jenks (7 points) and Franki Gomez (6 points) led the 'Jacket bench scorers.

William Smith scored the opening basket of the game, but the lead was short lived as on Rochester's opening possession, Gress sank a 3-pointer from the wing and UR led the rest of the way.

Rochester's starters accounted for all 25 points of the opening quarter, as UR led the Herons 25-14. Gress, McCulley and Drahos all opened with seven points over the first ten minutes.

Midway through the second quarter, Jenks made a layup following a pass from Tia Poulakidas and the Yellowjackets lead was 15, up 35-20.

The Herons fought back the rest of the quarter, trimming the 'Jacket lead to nine entering halftime as Kerstin Kelly beat the buzzer with a layup following a fast break steal. Rochester was up 42-33 at the break.

In the third, after Brooke Jarvis scored two of her game-high 33 points to open the second half, but UR rattled off the next seven points to build its lead back up to double-digits, sitting up 49-35.

The comfortable lead didn't last, as Mara Bledsoe and Jarvis kept the Herons within striking distance, getting the deficit down to seven with four minutes left in the quarter.

Rochester closed the quarter strong though, with a Gomez 3-pointer starting a 12-4 spurt by the home team, eventually seeing its lead get built back up to 15 as the teams reached the third quarter intermission.

Following two Drahos free throws with 6:22 left in the fourth, Rochester failed to make a basket over the next three and a half minutes, allowing William Smith to trim the lead down to six following an 8-2 run.

The Yellowjackets settled back in though, with McCulley hitting a layup and Haley Dumiak draining a big top-of-the-key 3-pointer to regain a double-digit cushion with under two minutes to play. Down the stretch, Rochester made 5-of-6 free throws to seal the game away.

William Smith's Jarvis finished with 33 points and 10 rebounds, posting a 13-for-24 day shooting from the field and 6-for-7 finish at the free throw line. Fiona Horan added 11 points while Bledsoe finished with nine points and six boards.

The Yellowjackets next game is a week from today, as UR hosts SUNY Brockport at the Palestra on November 28 at 7 pm.