The UR basketball court displayed a sea of pink to spread breast cancer awareness last Friday. The Yellowjackets basketball teams joined forces with the Wilmot Cancer Institute at the UR Medical Center in hopes of raising funds and bringing attention to breast cancer.
Sophomore forward Cassandra McCambridge commented on the event, saying how tremendous the event was for this cause, and said she thought the gesture of donating ticket money to the foundation was laudable. To both teams, it was a special event—the teams played not only for points, but for the prospect of finding a cure.
URWB, ranked first in the East Region by the NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball committee, played a rigorous game, but lost to the Brandeis Judges by a close score of 69–65. Sophomore guard Al Leslie scored an impressive 19 points for UR, and sophomore guard Lauren Deming scored a praisable 13 points.
In the second quarter of the game, the ‘Jackets failed to make field goal attempts after an intense first quarter. The Judges took advantage of this and managed to gain a two-point lead within four minutes of the second quarter. Seemingly losing hope, URWB fell behind as the second quarter progressed, and the discrepancy appreciated to a score of 60–49.
Despite Brandeis’ lead, UR persevered. Aided by the top scorer of the game, Leslie brought the team nine points through admirable three-point plays. With an additional three points from Deming, the Yellowjackets caught up, quickly making the score 67–63 with only 20 seconds remaining in the game.
In short order, the ‘Jackets managed to gain an extra basket, adding two points to their score. Brandeis, however, governed the last seconds of the game, ultimately winning by two points.
URBB skillfully clutched a win against Brandeis that evening, defeating their opponent 71–56.
With an outstanding game, junior guard Sam Borst-Smith led the team to victory by scoring 23 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists. Along with Borst-Smith, sophomore forward Tucker Knox had a season best with 10 points and 7 rebounds.
Sophomore Ray Pelka noted the “flatness” that ensued within the first few pivotal minutes of the game, but after game adjustments and time-outs by Coach Flockerzi, the ‘Jackets were able to take control and dominate for the rest of the game.
By halftime, the Yellowjackets led by 10 points due to Borst-Smith’s performance. The second half was consistent with the first, and UR kept their lead throughout the game.
The ‘Jackets’ securing of this win left them 15–6 overall and 8–2 in the UAA. UR has now won seven games, including six straight at home.
Both basketball squads are set to play Case Western Reserve University this Friday in Ohio, and will then travel to Pittsburgh to play Carnegie Mellon University on Sunday. They will return to play at home on Feb. 27 against Emory University.
