The men’s basketball team clinched the record for best start in school history Friday night with a 68-47 win over Washington University in St. Louis. The Yellowjackets dropped Washington to 12-6 overall and 4-3 in UAA competition. The game did not start well for the Yellowjackets, as the Bears went on a 7-0 run in the first three minutes of the game. Layups by Gabe Perez and Seth Hauben jump-started UR’s offense, with the go-ahead field-goal coming on a trifecta from Brendan McAllister with 7:12 remaining in the first half. The Yellowjacket defense also proved formidable. They held the Washington Bear offense, ranked third in the UAA, to only 15 points in the first half. Washington mounted a comeback in the second half, coming to within three points at the midpoint of the second half. The Yellowjackets responded with alacrity, mounting a ferocious 22-7 run to lead by 18 with 3:20 remaining. Seth Hauben and Andy Larkin led UR’s scoring, with 17 and 16 points, respectively. Hauben also led the team in rebounds, pulling down 10 boards. The Bears were led by Anthony Hollins and Rob Keller, with 15 and 13 points. The Yellowjackets will travel to St. Louis next weekend for the rematch. UR remains unbeaten and alone in first place in the UAA race.
Kelly Wescott hit a layup and two free throws in the final seconds to put the Yellowjackets ahead 58-54 and clinch a win against Washington University in St. Louis. Neither team was able to create a double-digit lead, trading the lead 10 times over the course of the game. Washington managed to build up a six-point lead throughout the second half, but the Yellowjackets chipped away slowly at the Bears’ lead. Erika Smith sank a tre with 44 seconds remaining to tie the score at 54 apiece. After each team took a timeout, Wescott drove for a layup with two seconds remaining for the go-ahead bucket. After another series of time-outs, Wescott drew a foul and sank both free throws to put the Yellowjackets four points up and give them the win. UR was led in scoring by Smith, with 19 points, with Wescott and Megan Fish chipping in 12 points apiece. Fish also pulled down seven boards to lead the team.The Bears had four players score in double digits – Lesley Hawley with 18, Hallie Hutchens with 12, and Leslie Berger and Kelly Manning with 10 apiece.The Yellowjackets took sole possession of first place in the competitive UAA conference with the win. They still have pivotal games remaining against Chicago, Case Western, and Washington. Fourth-ranked UR improved their record to 16-1, while the Bears slipped to 14-3. They will meet again in one week when the Yellowjackets travel to St. Louis. Hickey can be reached at ehickey@campustimes.org.
