Courtesy of UofRathletics.com
Behind a pair of first and second-half runs, the University of Rochester men’s basketball defeated the Hamilton College Continentals, 82-60, on Sunday afternoon inside Pepin Gymnasium to wrap up an undefeated performance at the 2023 UAA Challenge.
Trailing by nine with just over eight minutes to play in the first, the ‘Jackets used a 24-6 run to turn a 21-13 deficit into a 37-30 lead at the break. And after the Continentals twice cut UR’s lead down to four midway through the second half, the Yellowjackets outscored Hamilton, 23-5 over a 7:20 stretch to pull away and eventually finish off the 82-60 victory.
Back-to-back buckets from Mitchell Kershner broke the first-quarter seal for UR, but an 8-0 run for the Continentals, six of which came from Teja Singh, gave Hamilton the first lead of the afternoon.
Down 10-4, Logan Jagodzinski answered with two-straight buckets, sinking a layup off C.J. Amsellem’s assist at the 16:21 mark, before draining a triple from Matt Niemczura to bring the Yellowjackets within one, 10-9, with just over 16 minutes left in the first.
Again, the Continentals would go on a run, outscoring Rochester 12-4 over 7:14, to bring their lead out to eight, their largest of the afternoon with 8:44 left in the first. Hank Morgan and Singh each scored four points over Hamilton’s run, as the Contentinals held UR to just 2-for-7 from the floor and forced three turnovers over seven minutes.
Down nine, 22-13, Matt Wiele answered two Morgan free throws with a layup, before each side went scoreless for nearly three minutes. Tomiwa Adetosoye broke the scoreless stretch with his layup at the 5:26 mark, pulling the ‘Jackets within five.
A pair of Hamilton buckets, sandwiched around Corvin Oprea’s three, made it a six-point game, before the ‘Jackets went on their run, outscoring the Continentals, 17-4 to end the first half to take a 37-30 lead. The Yellowjackets forced four Hamilton turnovers and shot 9-for-10 at the free throw line over the three minutes, turning a six-point deficit into a seven-point halftime advantage.
Adetosoye started the run with four straight before Wiele’s jumper tied the game at 26-all with 2:10 left in the first. Morgan answered to retake the lead for Hamilton on the other end, but an and-one from Malachi Moore gave the Yellowjackets the lead right back.
Rochester turned up the pressure, running a full-court press down the end of the first and throughout the second half, as four-straight Wiele free throws off a pair of steals gave UR a 33-28 lead. Oprea then added two more free throws to make it a 35-28 lead, while Moore added another bucket before the Continentals got on the scoreboard one more time to make it 37-30 at the break.
Hamilton quickly cut into Rochester’s lead to start the second half, scoring six of the first nine points of the period to make it a four-point game. Singh’s jumper with 17:53 play made it a three-point game, 41-38, but Niemczura answered with a dunk on the other end to keep Rochester’s lead at two possessions.
The Continentals would keep things close over the next five minutes, cutting Rochester’s lead to four on three separate instances. Morgan’s jumper made it 49-45 at the 14:42 mark, but Jagodzinski’s dunk and foul brought the ‘Jackets lead out to seven.
A three-point play on the other end again made it a four-point game, but Jagodzinski this time knocked down a three, keeping Hamilton from pulling any closer.
Singh again pulled the Continentals within four, 57-53, with his triple with 11:30 remaining in the contest, but that’d be as close as Hamilton would get the rest of the way.
The Yellowjackets answered with another big, second-half run, as Jagodzinski and Adetosoye made it an eight-point lead over the next few Rochester possessions. Starting with Jagodzinski’s bucket at the 10:11 mark of the second half, the UR outscored Hamilton, 25-7, down the stretch, holding the Continentals to just three made field goals the rest of the way.
Over the nearly 10-minute stretch, Rochester again turned up the full-court pressure, forcing six turnovers and holding Hamilton to 3-for-12 from the field, while shooting 11-for-16 themselves.
Up eight with 8:30 to play the ‘Jackets extended their lead to double digits for the first time all afternoon on Oprea’s and-one at the 8:04 mark, before seven in a row from Wiele stretched the lead out to 18.
Moore’s jumper with 4:53 left made it a 20-point game, capping off a 3:39 stretch that saw UR outscore the Continentals, 14-0.
Kershner, Wiele and Andrew Jackson would add three more scores for the ‘Jackets down the stretch, as they finished off the 82-60 victory, moving back over .500 for the year.
Rochester moves to 4-3 with the win, finishing the UAA Challenge with a perfect 2-0 record, while the Continentals fall to 2-5 on the year.
Wiele led UR with 24 points and eight rebounds off the bench, shooting 7-for-9 from the field and 10-for-11 from the free-throw line. Jagodzinski added 18 points, shooting 7-for-8 from the floor and 3-for-4 from three, while Oprea notched 10 points, adding three rebounds and a block.
Defensively, four different ‘Jackets notched blocks, while Adetosoye and Wiele each tallied three steals.
As a team, Rochester shot 51.7 percent while holding the Continentals to just 38.5 percent shooting. The ‘Jackets also outrebounded Hamilton, 40-35, and forced 12 turnovers, which they turned into 18 points.
Rochester next travels to Ithaca, NY for a matchup against the Ithaca College Bombers on Wednesday, Dec. 6 at 7:30 p.m.
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