ATLANTA, GA – Behind a frenzied finish that saw 13 points scored in the final two minutes, the University of Rochester women's basketball dropped its season finale against the Emory University Eagles, 76-74, on Saturday afternoon at the Woodruff PE Center.
 
The loss drops Rochester to 11-14 (4-10 UAA) on the year, while the Eagles move to 15-10 (5-9 UAA) with the win, finishing fifth in the University Athletic Association, while the 'Jackets drop to sixth.
 
Despite a five-point URochester lead with just under two minutes to play, Emory would take a 74-72 lead on Chloe Kreusser's 1-for-2 trip to the line with just 23 seconds left, capping off a 7-0 run that saw the Eagles force a pair of turnovers and hold the 'Jackets scoreless for 1:15.
 
However, the Yellowjackets called a timeout and drew up a potential game-winner, finding Grace Corelli for a three-point try with 19 seconds to play. And while Corelli's three missed, Melis Alparslan grabbed the offensive rebound and tied the game just seconds later, leveling the score at 74-all with 13 ticks left.
 
Emory then called a timeout to draw up a potential game-winner of its own, and with just three seconds left, Alexandra Loucopoulo found Lily Kennedy for a buzzer-beating, game-winning layup, giving the Eagles the 76-74 victory.
 
Rochester led 56-54 at the end of the third, but two Loucopoulo free throws quickly tied the score at 56-all to start the fourth. The 'Jackets retook the lead on Bridget Miller's layup on Rochester's ensuing possession, but a 4-0 spurt gave Emory its first lead of the fourth, 60-58, with 7:36 remaining.
 
The back-and-forth contest featured five ties and 11 lead changes, and neither side led by more than seven the entire afternoon.
 
Loucopoulo's jumper gave Emory a two-point lead with 7:36 left in the fourth, but again, Miller quickly tied things up with a layup on URochester's next possession. After Emory and Rochester traded buckets once again, Melis Alparslan forced a steal on the Eagles' next possession and gave the 'Jackets a 64-62 lead with 4:05 remaining.
 
That lead would be short-lived, however, as Loucopoulo tied things up at 64 and gave Emory the lead with a three-point play, and then traded baskets with Deniz Alparslan to make it a 67-66 Eagles' lead just past the three-and-a-half-minute mark of the fourth.
 
Miller's three-point play of her own helped Rochester retake the lead, 69-67, and with a 6-0 run, capped off by another fastbreak bucket by Deniz Alparslan, the 'Jackets would take a five-point, 72-67 lead with 1:49 to play, before Emory eventually stormed back and won on Kennedy's buzzer-beater.
 
Loucopoulo got the scoring started to open the first quarter before Rochester took its largest lead of the afternoon, answering Emory's opening bucket with an 11-2 run. Annelise Dexter got Rochester on the scoreboard with a layup just shy of the nine-minute mark, while Corelli's triple, one of just two the Yellowjackets made in Atlanta, stretched URochester's lead to five, 7-2, with 6:49 left in the first.
 
Deniz Alparslan and Miller would cap off the 11-2 run with a pair of layups, but the 'Jackets' lead would be short-lived, as Emory answered right back with a 9-0 run of their own.
 
Loucopoulo, who led all scorers with 31 points, scored five of Emory's next nine points, capping off the 9-0 run with a triple and layup to give the Eagles a 13-11 advantage with 2:42 left in the first, and after trading free throws down the stretch, Emory would take a 17-16 lead at the quarter break.
 
Both sides would shoot well in the second quarter, combining for 42 points on 19-for-31 shooting. Rochester retook the lead on Tia Poulakidas' jumper to start the second, and led by as many as five in the quarter before another Eagles' surge, this time a 9-2 run over 2:29 of gameplay, gave Emory a 37-35 lead with 1:09 left in the first half.
 
Kennedy's three-point play highlighted the run and gave the Eagles a two-point lead, but a late triple by Melis Alparslan gave the Yellowjackets the lead back, 38-37, headed into the locker room.
 
Things would remain close in the third, with neither side holding more than a six-point advantage. Five-straight points from Poulakidas helped Rochester take a 51-48 lead after Lauren Walsh's three-pointer with 3:11 left in the third, while another five points from Poulakidas stretched URochester's lead out to six, 56-50, with 32 seconds left in the period.
 
In total, Poulakidas scored 10 of Rochester's 18 points in the third quarter, shooting 4-for-7 from the field and 2-for-2 from the free-throw line.
 
But two Mary Mullinax free throws cut Rochester's lead to four with 22 seconds left in the third, and after a turnover on the 'Jackets' ensuing possession, Kreusser's tip-in made it a one-possession game, 56-54, headed to the fourth.
 
Four Yellowjackets scored in double figures, led by Miller's 15 points, while Deniz Alparslan and Poulakidas each scored 14 and Melis Alparslan tallied 12. Melis Alparslan also led Rochester on the glass with six rebounds, while Corelli and Dexter each dished out a team-high three assists.
 
As a team, Rochester shot 47.1 percent, 2-for-13 from three and 8-for-11 from the free-throw line, while the Eagles shot 42.9 percent, 4-for-15 from distance and 18-for-23 from the foul line.