The University of Rochester women's basketball team closed out the second quarter on a big run leading to a 70-46 victory over the visiting Rochester Institute of Technology on Tuesday evening at the Louis Alexander Palestra.
Rochester closes out its non-conference slate with a 7-4 record after the win, while RIT drops to 4-5 on the 2024-25 season.
UR's late second quarter surge saw the Yellowjackets outscore the Tigers 15-2 over the final four and a half minutes, leading by 14 points at intermission.
The momentum carried over into the second half, as Rochester doubled up RIT in the third quarter 26 to 13, building its lead and eventually cruising to the victory, its fourth in the last five games.
With Tuesday's 24-point margin, all seven of Rochester's wins have been by double-digits so far this season.
Only one player, graduate student Abby Gress, scored in double-figures for Rochester, leading the way with 17 points. She added 7 rebounds and a team-high three 3-pointers.
Overall, ten different players scored three points for more for the Yellowjackets. Graduate student Erin Lillis had nine points, while Franki Gomez and Raquel Williams each had eight. Williams added six rebounds and two steals, providing a spark off the bench for Rochester.
First-year's Deniz Alparslan provided 7 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals while fellow rookie Grace Corelli had six points on a pair of 3-pointers.
It was a slow start to the game for Rochester, with the Yellowjackets needing nearly three minutes to score a basket, with Tia Poulakidas sinking a layup for the first points. Gress and Lillis made it a 7-point spurt to give UR a 7-4 lead, but RIT's Maddy Ramsgard scored two straight buckets to put RIT back in front.
A steal and buzzer-beating layup by Alparslan gave Rochester a 2-point lead, up 15-13 after the opening period.
In the second, Gomez hit a triple in the opening minute to boost UR's lead, only to see both teams go cold, with only one made field goal over the next four and a half minutes.
Leading 18-17, Rochester's offense then clicked on, making seven straight shots over a 3:25 span to outscore the Tigers 15-0. Williams and Alparslan each had four points in the run and did a strong job at both ends of the court.
Ramsgard stopped the run with a pull-up jumper in the final minute and send the teams to the locker room with Rochester in front 33-19.
After halftime, Gress and Lillis combined for 16 points in an 18-2 run for the Yellowjackets that broke open the game. First-year Annelise Dexter closed out the quarter with a 3-pointer, starting a stretch of four straight triples by the Yellowjackets, carrying over into the fourth.
In the three-point barrage, Corelli, Peyton Jones and Poulakidas all sank shots to add to UR's total. On the night the Yellowjackets finished 11-for-31 from distance, matching the second most makes from distance by Rochester this season.
Rochester now shifts its focus to the University Athletic Association conference season that starts up on Saturday with UR traveling to Emory University for a 3 pm tipoff in Atlanta.