BROCKPORT, NY – The University of Rochester women's basketball got the 2026 portion of its season started on a high note, defeating the SUNY Brockport Golden Eagles, 75-57, on Saturday afternoon inside Jim and John Vlogianitis Gymnasium.
 
Leading by one at the end of the first, the Yellowjackets outscored the Golden Eagles by 13 points over the second and third quarters, shooting 44.4 percent over the second and third periods, and 47.2 percent from the second quarter on.
 
Grace Corelli got Rochester on the scoreboard first, a minute into the opening stanza, while Brianna Carey quickly answered on the other end for Brockport. Back-to-back buckets by Annelise Dexter made it a three-point URochester lead midway through the first, while Macy Bacon's layup just past the three-minute mark made it a 12-8 advantage.
 
Brockport would cut Rochester's lead to just one, 12-11, with three-straight points to end the first, but the 'Jackets quickly made it an eight-point game with nine of the first 11 points of the second.
 
Peyton Maneri answered Bridget Miller's layup with one of her own just past the 8:30 mark of the second, but that'd be the Golden Eagles' last bucket for nearly three minutes. Two free throws from Hazell Nickerson jump-started a 7-0 Rochester run, highlighted by a pair of buckets from Melis Alparslan, both of which were assisted by Deniz Alparslan.
 
Melis Alparslan's triple at the 6:24 mark of the second capped off the 7-0 run, and while SUNY Brockport would respond with a 9-3 run of their own, cutting URochester's lead to two, 24-22, with 2:20 left in the first half, the Yellowjackets closed the first half on a 9-2 run to take a 33-24 lead at the halftime break.
 
Claire Groenewoud answered Mandy Brink's layup with a three to put Rochester back up five, 27-22, with 2:06 left in the second, and after a miss by Maneri on the other end, Groenewoud found the bottom again to stretch Rochester's lead to seven.
 
A layup from Macy Bacon then gave Rochester its largest lead of the first half, while Groenewoud answered Brink's layup with two more of her seven first-half points to give the 'Jackets a nine-point lead after two quarters of play.
 
The Golden Eagles briefly cut URochester's lead to five to start the third, before a 15-4 extended run over the next 6:17 gave the Yellowjackets their first double-digit lead of the afternoon. Six different Jackets contributed over the six-minute run, as Rochester held Brockport to just 2-for-12 from the field and forced a pair of turnovers.
 
Back-to-back layups from Miller gave Rochester a double-digit lead, while Franki Gomez cashed a triple to make it a 12-point lead just shy of the five-minute mark of the third.
 
Peyton Jones capped off the run with a layup from Corelli with 2:37 left in the third to extend Rochester's lead to 48-32, while four-straight points from Dexter, before a later three from Stephanie Jean-Baptiste, gave Rochester a 52-38 advantage headed to the fourth.
 
In the fourth, Brockport twice cut Rochester's lead down to single digits, but each time the Yellowjackets responded and kept the Golden Eagles from getting any closer.
 
After Addy VanDeWater's three made it a nine-point lead with 7:34 to play, Nickerson hit a turnaround jumper and Groenewoud sank a layup off Nickerson's assist to stretch the lead to 13.
 
Then, after Brianna Carey's three cut the deficit to eight, 58-50, with 5:49 left, Dexter's three-point play, and another two buckets from Nickerson brought the 'Jackets' lead out to 14, 66-52, with 2:40 remaining.
 
Nickerson added two more baskets down the stretch to notch a career-high 16 points, while a late Groenewoud triple gave Rochester its largest lead of the day, 75-57, before the final buzzer sounded.
 
With the win, Rochester moves to 6-4 on the year, while the Golden Eagles fall to 4-5.
 
Nickerson led the Yellowjackets with a career day, tallying 16 points, nine rebounds, six assists and two blocks. Dexter joined the first-year in double figures with 15 points, adding nine rebounds and two blocks as well, while Groenewoud also tallied double figures with 12 points and six boards.
 
As a team, Rochester shot 44.1 percent, compared to just 27.4 percent for the Golden Eagles, while the Yellowjackets also outrebounded Brockport, 58-43.
 
The Yellowjackets will wrap up non-conference play on Tuesday, Jan. 6, when they make the short trip to Henrietta, NY, for a matchup against RIT. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:00 p.m.