Visiting SUNY Geneseo held off second half rally from the University of Rochester women's basketball team, earning a 66-58 win in the semifinals of the University of Rochester Chuck Resler Invitational on Friday night at the Louis Alexander Palestra.
 
Rochester (0-2) fell behind by as many as 18 points early in the second half, but rallied to come all the way back and tie the game at 49-all less than two minutes into the fourth quarter.
 
SUNY Geneseo (3-1) was able to withstand the comeback, scoring five straight points to regain the lead for good, holding the Yellowjackets to just one field goal over the rest of the game, leading to the eight point win.
 
Rochester was led by Grace Corelli who had 14 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists, with the sophomore sinking three of UR's eight 3-pointers on the night. Annelise Dexter scored 11 points off the bench for Rochester, while Tia Poulakidas added 9 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists.
 
Geneseo's Maggie McGrane led all scorers with 26 points in the game, making 9-of-13 field goals and 4-of-6 from long range. McGrane added 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals in the win. Grace Galgano recorded a double-double for the Knights with 11 points and 10 rebounds, while Kristin Suydam chipped in ten points and seven boards.
 
The first quarter started slow for both squads, with the score sitting at 5-2 in favor of Geneseo after five minutes of play. Back-to-back 3-pointers from Franki Gomez vaulted Rochester in front, and after Dexter added a jumper, the 'Jackets were up 10-5.
 
Shots on both sides fell the rest of the period, with Rochester holding a 16-13 edge after ten minutes of play.
 
In the second quarter, Rochester went ice cold, making just one field goal, a Claire Groenewoud 3-pointer in what ended up being a 4-point period for the Yellowjackets.
 
Geneseo meanwhile, shot 8-of-15 from the floor and outscored Rochester 21-4, leading to a 34-20 halftime advantage.
 
Rochester returned the favor in the third quarter, outscoring the Knights 20-13 to chip away at the deficit.
 
Hazell Nickerson jumpstarted a big 14-2 run that pulled the 'Jackets back within four points late in the quarter. In the run, Corelli chipped in a 3-pointer and layup, while both Poulakidas and Dexter went 2-for-2 at the charity stripe.
 
McGrane hit an and-one play with time ticking under ten seconds to end the quarter to give the Knights a seven-point cushion heading into the final stanza.
 
In the fourth, Rochester scored nine of the first 11 points to pull even on the scoreboard at 49-49. Deniz Alparslan hit a jumper on Rochester's first possession, and after Geneseo answered with a basket, the 'Jackets hit seven straight points to knot the score.
 
Corelli hit a triple and Alparslan added a pair of free throws, with Corelli finishing off the spurt with a layup following a pass from Poulakidas. Rochester's full court press caught the Knights off guard and forced a couple turnovers in the run.
 
Unfortunately, Rochester went cold the rest of the way, leading to a 9-2 Geneseo run to increase the lead back to seven at 58-51, with four minutes to go.
 
Trailing by eight with under 30 seconds to play, Corelli hit 1-of-2 free throws and then sank a 3-pointer after a Gomez offensive rebound to cut the lead down to four.
 
Rochester was forced to foul, with McGrane sinking both free throws to build the lead back to six. After a 'Jacket miss, more foul shots, this time by Aliza Whitehead, sealed the victory for the Knights.
 
The Yellowjackets are back in action in the consolation matchup at the Relser Tournament on Saturday afternoon at 3 pm, hosting Middlebury College.
 
In other tournament action on Friday, Springfield College defeated Middlebury 58-56 to advance to the championship game against Geneseo, with that game set to be played on Saturday at 8 pm.