ONEONTA, NY – The University of Rochester closed strong in a Friday night victory over SUNY Oneonta, scoring 13 of the final 15 points to post a 55-43 victory at the Oneonta & Hartwick Classic at Hartwick's Lambros Arena.

UR's defense also turned in a tremendous effort, holding the Red Dragons (1-1) to just 32% shooting, making 19-of-60 field goal attempts. With the victory, Rochester moves to 2-1 on the year, and will play host Hartwick tomorrow at 1 pm in its final matchup of the weekend tournament.

Graduate student Abby Gress turned in a huge performance, scoring 21 points while grabbing a career-high 16 rebounds. Gress, a reigning Division III All-American, added five assists and two blocks in the game, shooting .500 (9-for-18) from the field.

Junior Bridget Miller just missed turning in a double-double for the Yellowjackets, finishing with 10 points and nine rebounds. Off the bench, Franki Gomez had 13 points, including two of UR's four 3-point field goals.

A slow start from both squads saw the score sit at 5-2 after five minutes of play. Erin Lillis made a jumper to put Rochester up 7-2 midway through the first, but Oneonta closed the quarter strong, with a 6-2 run moving the score to 13-12 favoring UR after ten minutes.

An early second quarter run by the 'Jackets boosted the lead to double-digits. Gress scored six points and Miller and Tia Poulakidas added baskets in the run to make the score 24-14 at the middle of the second quarter.

UR was held to one point the rest of the half though, but went into the locker room with a 25-19 advantage.

The Yellowjacket defense combined to hold the Red Dragons to just six points in the third quarter, but UR only managed 13 points themselves, building its lead to 38-25. Rochester had a 11-0 run to start the second half, with five different players sinking buckets in the stretch.

As play turned to the fourth quarter, Oneonta found its groove, going on a 14-2 surge to climb back within one, trailing 40-39 with 5:49 remaining.

A Gress layup gave UR a 3-point cushion, but Oneonta's Lidia Boucher responde with a bucket to move it back to a one-point game.

Over the rest of the game, Oneonta went cold and the Yellowjackets embarked on the late game 13-2 run to seal the victory. Gomez had a triple and old-fashioned 3-point play in the spurt, while Miller also sank one of her two 3-pointers on the night.