Up just one at the half, the University of Rochester men's basketball used a huge, second-half run to top the University of Texas at Dallas Comets, 79-69, on Friday evening at the Louis Alexander Palestra in their 2022-23 home opener.
 
With the win, the Yellowjackets advance to the Chuck Resler Tournament Championship Game, where they'll face No. 18 Trinity (TX) University in a battle of two ranked foes on Saturday, Nov. 12 at 8 p.m.
 
Kyle Poerschke got the scoring started for the Comets with his three with 34 seconds into the first half, giving UT Dallas an early 3-0 lead. Ross Gang quickly answered with a triple of his own on the other end, evening the score at three-all.
 
The two sides would trade buckets in the early going, with Ryan Algier answering Luke Kiser's jumper with a layup of his own, before a Mitchell Kershner three gave UR its first lead, 8-5, with 17:59 remaining in the period.
 
And after UT Dallas tied it, Rochester would open up a small lead, scoring seven straight on layups by Algier and Gang, and C.J. Ansellem's triple to go up 15-8 just under four minutes into the game.
 
Rochester would lead by as many as nine following two made free throws by T.C. Price, before the Comets made their way back, evening the score at 24-all on five-straight points from Poerschke.
 
On Matt Niemczura's driving layup, Rochester retook the lead, 26-24, but UT Dallas answered right back on Caden McKenzie's floater to tie the score at 26-all with 8:13 left in the first half.
 
Five-in-a-row from UR made it 31-26, but the Comets made their way back, cutting the deficit to two on Rob Wade's three-pointer with 5:40 to play in the first.
 
Algier hit two free throws to bring the lead back out to four, before UT Dallas briefly took a lead of their own, 36-35, on Austin Payge's layup with 2:20 remaining.
 
But Amsellem scored a layup with under a minute to play to put UR up for good, and on a potential fast-break opportunity at the buzzer, Gang blocked Thibaut Tagnon's layup to send the Yellowjackets into the locker room up 37-35.
 
Both teams shot well in the first, with UR shooting 54.2 percent from the field and UT Dallas at 41.2 percent.
 
Kershner got things started for the 'Jackets in the second half, knocking down a three off Matt Wiele's assist to give UR a four-point lead they'd never relinquish.
 
After Brayden Wright pulled the Comets within two with a layup on the other end, Rochester would hold the Comets to just three points over the next 9:12 opening up a 65-41 lead on Wiele's jumper with 9:50 to play.
 
In total, the Yellowjackets outscored the Comets, 28-5 over the first 10-plus minutes of the second half, turning a two-point lead into a 24-point advantage midway through the second half.
 
Three-pointers by Jagodzinski and Kershner highlighted a run that was punctuated by Wiele's dunk with 11:34 to play that put UR up 18 and forced UT Dallas to spend their second timeout of the half.
 
But UR kept the going out of the timeout, with a three-pointer by Masino just as the shot clock expired, and back-to-back driving layups by Algier and Wiele that put UR up 65-41 with just under 10 to play.
 
Page's layup slowed Rochester's run, but the Yellowjackets would take their largest lead of the second half, 70-45, on Andrew Jackson's triple with 8:33 left to play.
 
And while UT Dallas would slowly make their way back, doubling up the 'Jackets, 16-8, over the next 5:49, UR's lead was never threatened, with Rochester leading by double digits through the final buzzer.
 
The 'Jackets held UT Dallas to just 34.5 percent shooting in the second half, and just three made three-pointers after the Comets hit six in the first half.
 
With the 79-69 win, Rochester moves to 2-0 on the year, while the Comets fall to 0-1 and will face Fredonia in the Resler Tournament Consolation Game on Saturday, Nov. 12 at 3 p.m.
 
Kershner led the 'Jackets with 17 points, going 5-for-6 from beyond the arc, while Algier added 12 points and a team-high six rebounds and three blocks.
 
11 Yellowjackets scored in the home-opening win, while Masino notched a game-high six assists. '
 
As a team, UR shot 56.0 percent and 45.5 percent from three, outscoring UT Dallas on the break, 19-10, and 34-26 in the paint.
 
No. 11 Rochester will next face No. 18 Trinity (TX) in the Resler Tournament Championship game on Saturday, Nov. 12 at 8 p.m. inside the Louis Alexander Palestra.