ATLANTA, GA – Rochester's women's basketball team erupted for 25 points in the fourth quarter to pull away from Emory University and post a 70-55 victory in the regular season finale for both teams on Saturday afternoon.
 
The win was the 16^th for Rochester this season, its highest total since 2018 when the Yellowjackets finished 24-5. UR ended up at 8-6 in the University Athletic Association race. The Yellowjackets tied for second place in the standings with Emory and Washington-St. Louis. Emory was 15-9 overall, Washington finished at 14-11. The rest of the UAA table showed Chicago at 7-7 (14-10 overall), Carnegie Mellon at 6-8 (12-11), Brandeis at 3-11 (9-15), and Case Western Reserve at 3-11 (8-17).
 
UR kept a couple of streaks going. Heading into the game at Emory's Woodruff PE Center, Rochester was 10-0 when the opponent scores 60 points or fewer. It's 11-0 now. Similarly, the Yellowjackets are 13-1 now when they score 70 points or more. The only time they scored more than 70 and lost came on January 16 in the Palestra against Washington-St. Louis. This was Rochester's seventh time scoring 70 or more in a UAA game (6-1).
 
The offense in this game came from the three primary scorers: Hannah Lindemuth scored 27 points (two shy of her career high), hitting 10 of 17 from the floor, three of five from outside the arc and four of four at the foul line. Julianna Okoniewski finished her career with her fifth double-double this season: 20 points, 10 rebounds, and one blocked shot. Alexis Sestric contributed 12 points hitting five of nine from the floor, two of two at the foul line.

As a team, the Yellowajckets shot a collective .439 from the floor (25-57). They got off to a good start, making seven of their first 15 shots, and took a 16-12 lead after one. It was a 32-25 lead at halftime. Emory cut into it slightly in the third (UR led, 45-40 heading into the final quarter), but the 25 points (12-14 at the foul line) helped seize the victory.
 
This was Rochester's 12^th game this season against a regionally-ranked opponent. With conference championship games still going on, Rochester has a 2-2 record against teams already in the tournament: the Yellowjackets have beaten SUNY New Paltz (which won the SUNYAC title), split with UAA Champion NYU (swapped home court wins a week apart – and it is NYU's sole loss this year), and lost at St. John Fisher (Empire 8 champion). If Ithaca wins the Liberty League championship on Sunday, that will give UR a 3-2 mark against teams who are automatic qualifiers to the playoffs.
 
Emory had two players in double figures Saturday. Claire Brock scored 20 points and Anna Arato had 12. Tori Huggins pulled down 10 rebounds.
 
Through the 25-game season in 2021-22, Okoniewski raised her career totals to  965 points, 580 rebounds, 140 blocked shots, and 108 steals. She is fourth in career blocked shots, third in career blocked shots average per game (1.8), 9^th in scoring average (12.5 ppg.), and 10^th in defensive rebound average (4.9). She is 16^th in career points.