The Men’s and Women’s Basketball teams traveled to Cleveland on Friday to take on Case Western Reserve University. Both teams played well and won by safe margins.
At the beginning of the women’s game, the Case Western Reserve Spartans kept within four points of the ‘Jackets. Though the ‘Jackets maintained a lead for a large portion of the first quarter, the Spartans tied it back up at 15. The ‘Jackets responded with an 8–2 run to end the first quarter up 23–17.
In the second quarter, the ‘Jackets were unstoppable. Superb defensive play held the Spartans to just three second-quarter points, and their shots were falling on offense. A 10–0 spurt to end the second quarter put Rochester up 38–20 at halftime.
The ‘Jackets continued their defensive success, scoring an additional 17 points to start the second quarter before the Spartans were able to land a shot. However, Case Western Reserve matched the ‘Jackets in scoring across the remainder of the third quarter.
The Spartans outscored the ‘Jackets in the first five minutes of the fourth quarter, but they were already too far behind for it to make any difference. While the gap between the teams did not increase, the early success of the ‘Jackets was insurmountable. By the end of the game, the score was 81–49, and the Spartans never secured a lead.
There were many fantastic performances from the women’s team. Senior forward Lauren Deming had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Senior Alexandra Leslie put up an impressive 22 points. Sophomore forward Brenna James was key to the team’s strong defensive showing, recording five steals.
This in-conference victory puts the Women’s team at 8–3 in UAA play and 18–4 overall.
The men’s team also showed signs of dominance and brought home a 71–58 victory, but weren’t as overwhelmingly dominant as the women were.
The Spartans established a quick lead, and the game remained competitive at the beginning. However, after the ‘Jackets tied it up, junior guard Jacob Wittig hit a 3-pointer to gain a 10–7 lead.
The Spartans fought back to tie it up again, but three-pointers by junior guard Michael Mangan and first-year forward Steph Peters-Smith scored from downtown to gain a 21–15 lead. The ‘Jackets continued to widen their lead, finishing the first half up 38–27.
After exchanging scores early in the second half, the ‘Jackets went on a 9–0 run, increasing their lead to 21 points. The Yellowjackets continued to widen their lead, but the Spartans ended the game with a 9–0 run of their own, causing the final score to be 71–58.
There were many strong performers for the ‘Jackets. Wittig had 18 points, five rebounds, four assists and a free throw percentage of 80. Junior guard Ryan Clamage had 10 points, seven boards, and five assists. First-year forward Ryan Algier matched Clamage’s seven rebounds, and also scored eight points, including the Yellowjackets’ only dunk of the game. Mangan and sophomore forward Patrick Benka each contributed nine points.
This win was crucial for the men’s team, as CWRU has a better in-conference record than the ‘Jackets.
