CHICAGO, IL – After trailing by as many as 13 in the third, the University of Rochester women's basketball nearly pulled off another double-digit comeback against the Maroons, making it a one-possession game late, but No. 17 University of Chicago held on, defeating the 'Jackets, 60-53, on Friday evening inside the Ratner Athletic Center.
 
The Maroons took their largest lead of the night, 42-28, on Bri Simpson's layup with 4:04 left in the third, culminating a more than 20-minute stretch that saw Chicago outscore URochester, 39-15.
 
But the Yellowjackets would roar back, doubling up the Maroons over the final four minutes of the third to cut the deficit to nine, and then nearly came all the way back in the fourth. Macy Bacon answered Simpson's layup with a jumper, while Hazell Nickerson went 1-for-2 at the line to make it an 11-point game.
 
After Simpson sank another layup to put Chicago back up 13, 44-32 with 2:40 left in the third, free throws by Bacon and Deniz Alparslan made it a 10-point game, while Bridget Miller's layup with 47 seconds left and two more Bacon free throws made it a nine-point Chicago lead at the end of the third.
 
Rochester then quickly cut UChicago's lead down to six with Claire Groenewoud's triple to start the fourth, while after Simpson went just 1-for-2 at the line, Tia Poulakidas made it a five-point game with her basket just shy of the eight-minute mark of the fourth.
 
Chicago would stretch its lead back to 10 with five quick points from Alexis Clark over the next minute, but a Grace Corelli step-back triple brought the Maroons' lead back down to single digits, while two trips to the line for Corelli and Poulakidas over the next minute pulled Rochester within three, 53-50, with 2:09 remaining.
 
On Chicago's ensuing trip down the floor, the 'Jackets forced a miss, but Chicago grabbed the rebound, one of 18 offensive boards on the night for the Maroons, and Chris Sanders jumper pushed the lead back to five with 1:26 left.
 
Despite a miss on URochester's ensuing possession, the 'Jackets forced a turnover and got the ball back, and a foul sent Poulakidas back to the line, where she went 1-for-2. With the lead at four and less than 40 seconds left, Rochester was forced to foul, sending Kate Gross to the line, who went 1-for-2.
 
Poulakidas grabbed the rebound on Gross's second miss, and out of a timeout, scored a quick layup to pull the Yellowjackets back within three, 56-53. But the Maroons broke Rochester's press and found Gross for an easy layup, stretching their lead back to five, 58-53, with 18 seconds to play.
 
This time, Rochester tried a three-pointer and missed, and forced to foul, the 'Jackets again sent Gross to the line, who sealed the game with two free throws to give the Maroons a 60-53 victory.
 
The Yellowjackets opened the contest on a 13-3 run, hitting three of their first six attempts from beyond the arc in the first. Poulakidas got the scoring started with a layup, while Bridget Miller nailed a triple before the Maroons got on the scoreboard.
 
Two more threes from Corelli and Annelise Dexter stretched Rochester's lead to its largest of the night, 13-3, just under four minutes into the first, but the Yellowjackets would hit just two field goals the rest of the frame.
 
UChicago ended the first quarter on a 12-5 run, cutting Rochester's lead to just three, 18-15, at the quarter break, while the 'Jackets shot just 24 percent over the second and third quarters, as the Maroons took a 31-27 lead into the locker room and stretched it out to 13 before URochester mounted its rally late in the third.
 
With the loss, the Yellowjackets drop to 9-8 (2-4 UAA) on the year, while the 17th-ranked Maroons move to 12-4 (4-2 UAA) with the win.
 
Corelli led Rochester offensively with 11 points and five rebounds, while Poulakidas added nine and Bacon tallied eight points.
 
For Chicago, Gross had a game-high 15 points, while Simpson joined her in double figures with 11.
 
As a team, Rochester shot 32.1 percent for the contest and 29.2 percent from beyond the arc, while the Maroons connected on 36.7 percent on their attempts and shot 22.2 percent from three.
 
Rochester will next head to St. Louis, MO, to face another top-25 foe in the 15th-ranked WashU Bears on Sunday, Feb. 1. Tip-off is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. CT.