Men’s and Women’s Basketball brought home similar results this past weekend, both defeating Case Western but falling to Carnegie Mellon on Sunday.
URBB extended their winning streak to nine games on Friday, besting Case Western by a score of 99–92. Seven players scored in double digits as the team shot 54 percent from the field, the best of the season. Junior Sam Borst-Smith led ‘Jackets with 25 points.
But, the winning streak ended on Sunday when URBB lost 102–97 in overtime to Carnegie Mellon.
“It’s hard to have perspective when you are on a nine game UAA winning streak, but a split on the road in the UAA is a very good accomplishment,” head coach Luke Flockerzi said. “We played well on Friday to beat a very dangerous Case Western team and just ran out of gas on Sunday.”
The loss left the men tied with Emory for first in the UAA standings. The two teams will face off on Saturday at noon in the Palestra for the UAA championship, where UR will honor their three graduating seniors: Dylan Peretz, Jared Seltzer, and Ben Arno.
In one of the most exciting games of the season, URWB came back from a 17-point deficit to win 75–69 in overtime against Case Western. Sophomore Al Leslie led the way, scoring 18 points and adding eight rebounds, while sophomore Lauren Deming and junior Brynn Lauer both contributed 13 points.
“We displayed a high level of grit, toughness and cohesiveness,” said assistant coach Kaitlin Donahoe. “The game also showed us that if you don’t come ready to go in the UAA, you can get beat by any team on any night, regardless of their record and standing. Our team never gave up, and that was extremely impressive.”
On Sunday, the Yellowjackets were challenged by one of the most explosive offenses in the conference. This game against Carnegie Mellon featured a standout performance by Deming, who shot a career-high 29 points. Despite Deming’s career night, UR lost 95–89 after a tight fourth quarter. The ‘Jackets hope to rebound against the Emory Eagles in the Palestra this Saturday.
“Emory will be a very tough opponent but we are hoping we can send our seniors off with a good game,” head coach Jim Scheible said. The team will be graduating seniors Tylar Guerrieri, Kelsey Hurley, Kayla Kibling, and Emily Lewis, who have been integral to the success the team has experienced this season.
“March is always an exciting part of collegiate basketball, but we first have to take advantage of the opportunities prior to that point, and that will begin in practice this week,” Donahoe said. “This has been a relentless group all year and I have no doubt we will see that from them once again.”
