Men top Fisher for seventh Chase title

The men’s basketball team proved why they are ranked second nationally last weekend, winning the JP Morgan Chase Scholarship Tournament for the seventh time. The seventh title ties UR with neighboring rival Rochester Institute of Technology for the most JP Morgan Chase Tournament titles overall.After beating Nazareth, last year’s tournament champion, in a resounding 69-45 victory with a 17-3 drive coming in the second half, the Yellowjackets overcame the Golden Eagles with a 77-55 win. The Yellowjacket’s win was highlighted by double-digit scoring from juniors Seth Hauben, Ryan Mee, senior Andy Larkin, and sophomore Joe Canty.Despite an early lead of 33-20 at halftime, UR stumbled in the opening minutes of the second half, allowing St. John Fisher to get back to within four points, which changed the mood of the packed Palestra. Hauben, the tournament’s MVP, and Canty soon gave UR breathing room after Hauben connected on a 12-footer and Canty added a lay-up immediately thereafter. Hauben scored sixteen points in the paint and nabbed 10 rebounds. In all, Hauben put 27 points on the board for the Yellowjackets while picking up seventeen rebounds.UR finished the game with a 64-55 win over Fisher, returning the title back to the Yellowjackets.UR has not lost in a final at the JP Morgan Chase Tournament at home and has won six of their titles at the Palestra. The Yellowjackets move on to take on Emory in Atlanta on Friday at 8 p.m UR then travel to Cleveland to face conference foe Case Western Reserve University. The men return to action at the Palestra on Friday, Jan. 30 to match up against Washington University.Schnee can be reached at cschnee@campustimes.org.