Courtesy of UR Athletics
It was a weekend of highs and lows for women’s basketball, as the team recorded their best win of the season on Friday, Feb. 7 against Washington University in St. Louis before dropping a winnable game on Sunday, Feb. 9 to the University of Chicago.
Only a week after falling to Washington University at the Palestra in Rochester, UR travelled to St. Louis for a rematch against their UAA rivals, who came into the game ranked second in the country.
The ’Jackets got off to a big start, dominating on both ends of the floor in the first half and heading into the locker room at halftime up by 13.
In the second half, however, the home team came roaring back, eventually grabbing the lead with 8:26 remaining in the game. UR would remain unfazed, staying with the surging Bears as the clock wound down. Among the biggest plays for the ’Jackets was sophomore Kelsey Hurley’s three pointer with 2:22 remaining, a shot that gave the ’Jackets a lead they wouldn’t surrender.
When all was said and done, coach Jim Scheible’s team emerged with a 72-68 victory. Senior Loren Wagner led the ’Jackets in scoring with 19 points, while Hurley recorded a team high of nine assists that night.
After a travel day to make the trip north to the Windy City, UR met the University of Chicago with the hopes of avenging their three-point loss a week earlier in Rochester.
The ’Jackets started the game sluggishly, looking like a different team than the one that had beaten Washington University less than 48 hours prior. The Maroons jumped out to an 18-6 lead in the first half, and despite a surge from UR as the first half wound down, Chicago maintained a 38-32 lead at halftime.
Freshman Danielle June energized the ’Jackets in the second half, coming off the bench to score five straight points and cut the deficit to only four points. Chicago responded well, however, and knocked down several three-pointers on a 20-4 run that put the game out of reach, cruising down the stretch for an 83-70 win.
For Rochester, senior Danielle McNabb and junior Ally Zywicki both led the team with 14 points, while Wagner followed up her big performance on Friday with another solid game, scoring twelve points and matching her career high with 20 rebounds.
The split weekend leaves the ’Jackets at 8-12 on the season, with a 2-7 UAA record. After a week of practice at home in Rochester, the squad will be back on the road as they travel to Cleveland for a match-up with Case Western Reserve University on Friday, Feb. 14 before heading to Pittsburgh to face Carnegie Mellon Unviersity on Sunday, Feb. 16.
Shapiro is a member of the class of 2016.
