All RSS feed content is owned by the respective 3rd party website.
An 11-0 run late in the second half helped to propel the Case Western Reserve University men’s basketball team past the University of Rochester for an 87-84 win in Rochester, New York on Friday night.
The win snapped a stretch of four straight games without a victory for the Spartans, who improved to 6-11 overall with a 2-4 record in University Athletic Association games. The Yellowjackets fell to 6-11 overall and 0-6 in the conference with the loss, the team’s ninth-straight setback.
Senior Sam Trunley scored 16 of his game-high 24 points in the second half to lead the team to the win. Trunley, who made eight-of-18 shots overall, one-of-four from three-point range, and seven-of-seven from the free throw line, added eight rebounds, two assists, a steal, and a block. He ended the game with 999 career points and needs just one point against Emory on Sunday to become the 21st player in program history to surpass the 1,000-career point mark.
Senior forward Umar Rashid added a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds, shooting five-of-13 from the floor and adding an assist, a steal, and two blocks. Two other Spartans finished in double figures on Friday with graduate student forward Andy Barba tallying 15 points, while graduate student guard Christian McDaniel finished the contest with season-highs with 10 points and seven rebounds.
The Spartans shifted the momentum of the game with 7:16 left in the contest. With the Spartans facing a six-point deficit, their largest of the game, Rashid connected on a layup and McDaniel followed with a pair of free throws to get CWRU back within a basket, 67-65 with 6:44 left. After Rochester came up empty on its next possession, Barba connected on a jumper to even the score and a three by Trunley with 5:42 left on the clock gave the Spartans a lead they would not relinquish for the remainder of the contest. McDaniel came up with a steal on Rochester’s next possession and followed with a layup to cap off the 11-0 run and give CWRU a 72-67 edge with 5:26 to play.
The Spartans’ lead grew to as many as eight points down the stretch after a layup by Trunley put the team up 79-71 with 2:19 to go. The Yellowjackets chipped away at the lead, getting it back to within a three-point game with just over a minute left before Trunley answered with a layup to make it a two-possession game again. A Rochester three made it a two-point contest with just 18 seconds remaining, but Barba and Trunley each made both of their free throw attempts on CWRU’s last two possessions to help hold off the Yellowjackets and secure the victory.
Friday night’s game was tight throughout with the Spartans’ eight-point lead in the closing minutes marking the largest for either team. The contest featured a total of 13 lead changes and 14 ties.
A layup by Trunley gave CWRU a 6-5 lead with 16:46 remaining in the first half and the Spartans remained ahead for the next eight minutes, going in front by as many as six points during the stretch. Rochester tied the game and took the lead on a pair of free throws with 7:59 on the clock, but McDaniel responded with a putback and a free throw after a foul that gave CWRU a two-point lead again. The Spartans briefly fell behind by a point again, 32-31, with 3:53 to go, but Rashid hit a three on the next possession to give CWRU the lead back. The contest remained close throughout the rest of the half, with the Yellowjackets retaking the lead with 1:37 to play in the period and ending the first 20 minutes with a 45-43 edge.
The Spartans fell behind 55-51 with 13:51 to play in the period, but forced turnovers on the next two Rochester possessions, resulting in a layup by Rashid and a three from Barba to put CWRU back in front 56-55 with 13:09 remaining in the game. CWRU remained ahead by two, 59-57, with 11:21 left, but the Yellowjackets scored 10 of the next 12 points to take their largest lead of the game before the 11-0 run by the Spartans gave them the lead for good.
CWRU outshot Rochester 44.1% (30-68) to 43.5% (30-69) and held a 17-11 edge in points off turnovers and a 42-38 advantage in points in the paint. The Spartans made 33.3% (7-21) of their long-distance shots in the game and shot 83.3% (20-24) from the free throw line compared to 59.3% (16-27) for Rochester.
The Spartans will wrap up their road trip on Sunday in Atlanta where CWRU will face 11th-ranked Emory. Tip-off is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.
Spartan Notes
-
This was the Spartans’ fourth-straight win against Rochester, as CWRU improved to 17-48 all-time against the Yellowjackets.
-
Trunley, who is now averaging 23.0 points per game this season, recorded his 11th game of 20 or more points this season on Friday.
