CORTLAND, NY – Despite trailing by as many as 13, the University of Rochester women's basketball rallied back against the 7th-ranked SUNY Cortland Red Dragons, but couldn't pull off the comeback, falling by the final score of 53-48 in their season opener on Friday evening inside Whitney T. Corey '43 Gymnasium.
 
Claire Groenewoud scored the first points of the contest for the Yellowjackets, as URochester kept things close in the early going, with six of the 'Jackets' first eight points coming from Bridget Miller.
 
Miller sank three-straight layups over a minute and a half stretch, matching baskets by Jackie Funk and Sophie Bissaillon, as the Red Dragons took an early, one-point lead.
 
Annelise Dexter's three-point play just past the six-minute mark of the first tied the score at 11-all, while Grace Corelli's jump on UR's ensuing possession gave the Yellowjackets a 13-11 lead.
 
Sam Dembinski and Hazell Nickerson then traded three pointers, while layups by Melis Alparslan and Deniz Alparslan down the first-quarter stretch helped Rochester take a 20-19 lead over No. 7 SUNY Cortland at the quarter break.
 
However, the Red Dragons would shoot a blistering 50 percent from the field in the second quarter, holding Rochester to just 1-for-14 from the field, as they outscored the 'Jackets, 14-2, to take an 11-point lead at the halftime break.
 
The Red Dragons retook the lead on two Cadence Nicholas free throws, while Dembinsky knocked down another triple to give Cortland a 24-20 lead with 7:44 until the half.
 
Grace Corelli answered with a jumper on the other end, but the Yellowjackets would go cold for the rest of the quarter, as Cortland ended the first half on a 9-0 run to take a 33-22 lead at the break.
 
SUNY Cortland then quickly stretched its lead out to 13, its largest lead of the night, on Kaeli McAnally's layup and two free throws from Funk, leading 37-24 with 5:57 left in the third.
 
However, the 'Jackets found their shooting touch and went on a run of their own, outscoring the Red Dragons, 11-2 over the next 4:23 to cut SUNY Cortland's lead to just four, 39-35, with just under 30 seconds left in the period.
 
Corelli's layup kick-started the run, while Nickerson sank a layup, jumper, and hit a free throw over the four-plus-minute stretch to bring URochester within four. But Funk connected on a layup at the buzzer to make it a six-point game heading to the fourth, and behind five more to open the quarter, SUNY Cortland retook a double-digit lead, 46-35, with 6:17 to play.
 
The 7-0 Cortland run came alongside a four-minute scoreless stretch for the Yellowjackets, but Groenewoud broke the seal with 6:05 to play, keying another Rochester run that brought the 'Jackets within three, 46-43, with 3:15 remaining.
 
Groenewoud sank a layup to get URochester on the scoreboard in the fourth, and then added another two minutes later as the Yellowjackets answered Cortland's 7-0 run with an 8-0 run of their own.
 
Trailing by three, both teams couldn't find a bucket for just shy of two minutes, before McAnally connected on a jumper and Lusk hit a pair of free throws to extend Cortland's lead to seven, 50-43 with just over a minute left.
 
Corelli got fouled on Rochester's ensuing possession but couldn't connect on a pair of free throws. However, the 'Jackets got a trio of offensive boards, and Deniz Alparslan scored a layup with 36 seconds left to make it a five-point game.
 
Rochester fouled, and McAnally went 1-for-2 at the line, and Deniz Alparslan notched another quick bucket to cut Cortland's lead to four, 51-47, with 19 seconds to play.
 
This time, though, McAnally hit both free throws, and Rochester couldn't connect on the other end, and the Red Dragons would eke out a 53-48 victory following a late free throw from Corelli.
 
No. 7 Cortland moves to 1-0 with the win, while the 'Jackets drop to 0-1 with the loss.
 
Nickerson led Rochester with 10 points, while Corelli added nine points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Three 'Jackets each tallied two assists: Deniz Alparslan, Nickerson and Groenewoud, while Groenewoud also added a team-high two steals.
 
As a team, Rochester shot just 29.6 percent, while the Red Dragons shot 33.3 percent. URochester outscored Cortland in the paint, 36-22, and outrebounded SUNY Cortland, 54-30, but the Red Dragons made four more triples and 11 more free throws.
 
The Yellowjackets next host the Chuck Resler Tournament, facing No. 23 SUNY Geneseo on Friday, Nov. 14, at 8:00 p.m. inside the Louis Alexander Palestra.