Two graduate students, Abby Gress and Erin Lillis, combined to score 18 of the teams 19 points in the fourth quarter, lifting the University of Rochester women's basketball to a 61-56 victory over visiting Emory University on Saturday afternoon at the Louis Alexander Palestra.
 
Rochester's victory, its second over the Eagles this season, moves the Yellowjackets record to 13-12 to end the season. UR was 6-8 in University Athletic Association play. Emory, meanwhile, falls to 15-10, 7-7 UAA.
 
Gress finished with a double-double in the final game of her career, scoring a game-high 22 points, adding ten rebounds. The graduate student chipped in an 8-for-18 shooting day and was 5-for-7 from the free throw line.
 
Lillis ended with 16 points, making 7-of-8 from the free throw line, adding in five rebounds and three assists for the Yellowjackets.
 
For Emory, Alexandra Loucopoulos matched Gress with 22 points for game-high honor. She sank four 3-pointers to lead the visitors.
 
In the opening quarter, the Eagles started out quick, making five of their first seven shots to lead 12-3 shortly after four minutes had elapsed. The 9-point lead was the largest of the game for either team.
 
Rochester responded with a 12-0 run, taking a 15-12 lead after Annelise Dexter made a pair of free throws with 2:18 left in the period. UR's run was aided by five points from Gress and a 3-pointer from Macy Bacon.
 
Two Loucopoulos 3-pointers in the final two minutes gave Emory a slight edge after the first quarter, leading 18-15.
 
Emory was able to get out to another 9-point lead, up 31-22, midway through the second quarter, following back-to-back 3-pointers from Daniella Aronsky.
 
UR held the Eagles without a point over the final 4:30 of the half though, scoring six straight to trim the lead down to three at intermission.
 
A low-scoring third quarter on both sides was capped with a 3-pointer by Rochester senior Franki Gomez, pulling the two teams even on the scoreboard at 42-all.
 
During the fourth, much of Rochester's damage was done from the free throw line. Gress hit a turnaround jumper to knot the score at 44 and hit a pair of free throws on the next possession to edge Rochester in front.
 
After Chloe Kreusser hit a layup for Emory to pull the visitors back even, Lillis was fouled on a 3-pointer and sank all three at the line to put Rochester up 49-46. Gress later boosted the lead to five with a driving layup inside the lane.
 
The lead evaporated when Loucopoulos hit two straight from behind-the-arc, moving the score to 52-51 in favor of Emory.
 
Neither team scored for the next two minutes, with Lillis breaking the drought with a driving layup.
 
On the next possession the graduate student did it again, and added an additional free throw on the play to put Rochester in front by four with 3:33 left.
 
Emory got as close as two down the stretch twice, but Lillis and Gress, along with Deniz Alparslan, made five of six combined at the line over the final two minutes to seal the victory.
 
Rochester won the rebounding battle 45-34 and combined to shoot 37.7% (20-53) from the field. Emory made just 31.9% from the field, but forced the Yellowjackets into 17 turnovers in the contest.
 
Gress, Lillis, Gomez and Raquel Williams were honored, along with their families, with a Senior Day ceremony before the final home game of their collegiate careers.