ROCHESTER, N.Y.—The seventh-ranked University of Rochester basketball needed a late run to hold off upset-minded William Smith College in the season-opener for both teams. Alexandra Leslie scored a career-high 33 points to lead the Yellowjackets to a 74-59 win over the Herons in the Loius Alexander Palestra tonight.
William Smith hung tough with Rochester, tying the score at 56 on a pair of made free throws by sophomore
Olivia Hughes with just over seven minutes remaining in the contest, but Rochester pumped in the next 15 points to build an insurmountable lead with just 91 seconds left.
The Herons got a career-high 13 points from senior
Alyssa DiCampli. Senior guard
Melanie Patterson produced 12 points, five assists, and four steals. Hughes finished with seven points. Sophomore forward
Mia Morrison grabbed a team-high nine rebounds.
William Smith scored 17 points off 20 Rochester turnovers. The Herons made 14 steals with eight players getting at least one theft.
Leslie hit 9-of-12 from the field and 15-of-18 from the foul line. The 15 free throws made tied the Rochester single-game record set in 2011 by Melissa Alwardt. Leslie also pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds and blocked four shots.
Rochester opened an eight-point lead twice in the third quarter, the last time at 51-43 after a Leslie layup. Junior guard
Sarah Brophy made a conventional 3-point play and Patterson sank three of four from the line in a span of 45 seconds to trim the deficit to 51-49 in the last minute of the frame. Leslie made three free throws in the closing seconds to put UR ahead, 54-49, heading into the fourth quarter.
Sophomore guard
Natalia Baum scored on a fast break layup and Hughes netted five points – a 3-pointer and two free throws – in the first five minutes of the fourth quarter to tie the game for the fifth and final time.
Lauren Foley (10 pts) hit the crucial shot, a 3-pointer with just under seven minutes to go. It triggered Rochester's decisive run which pushed UR ahead, 71-56. Leslie scored the other 12 points – three layups and 6-of-6 from the foul line.
William Smith will continue its three-game road trip to start the season on Friday, Nov. 18, when the Herons visit Cortland. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.
