Rochester jumped out to an 8-0 lead behind senior Seth Hauben's post play. The Newton, Mass. native scored six points in the paint to help give UR the early edge. Senior Rob Keller ended the Bears' drought with a 15-footer along the right baseline. Keller connected from three-point range at the right wing to draw WU within four points.
Freshman Troy Ruths checked into the game with about 12 minutes remaining in the half and scored six quick points down low to cut the Yellowjackets' lead to two (16-14) at the midway point. Sophomore Brandon York connected from downtown and classmate Neal Griffin dribbled the ball length of the court for a lay-up to tie the score at 22-22, forcing a UR timeout.
After the break, Hauben scored three straight baskets to push the Yellowjackets ahead 28-23 with less the three minutes remaining in the half. Hauben finished with half with 19 points and 12 rebounds, connecting on 8-of-9 field goals. However, WU finished the first frame with a 6-1 run. Ruths, who led the Bears with eight first-half points, put in another lay-up and senior Michael Faherty scored consecutive eight-footers for a 29-29 halftime score.
The Bears took their first lead (34-33) of the day at the 16:41 mark in the second half when junior Mike Grunst hit a pull-up jumper at the right elbow. Classmate Scott Stone extended the margin to four points the next trip down with his second trey of the half.
Rochester cut the deficit to one point twice with about five minutes left on the clock before Stone came off a screen and nailed his third triple of the game from the right wing. The Bears earned a defensive stop on the Yellowjackets' next possession and Ruths corralled the rebound and forced a UR foul. Ruths hit both ends of a one-and-one, free throw situation to give WU a 56-50 lead with 4:17 remaining.
The Yellowjackets responded with a 7-0 run, capped off by Hauben's lay-up. Stone knocked down two free throws on the ensuing Bears' possession to give the Bears the lead for good with a little less than three minutes to play. Senior Anthony Hollins scored on a slashing lay-up to give WU a 60-57 edge with 1:57 left, and UR called for time. Ruths scored on a jump-hook with 1:04 to play after WU stopped UR at the other end.
UR (20-4, 11-2 UAA), the first-place team in the UAA, senior Gabe Perez connected on a pair of foul shots to draw within 62-59. After the Bears whistled for a timeout, Hollins missed a fall-away from 15 feet, giving Rochester a chance to tie the game with 18 seconds left. The Yellowjackets missed two three-pointer attempts that would have tied the game before time expired.
Hauben finished with game-highs of 26 points and 17 rebounds for UR. He was the only Yellowjackets player to score in double figures. Ruths led the Bears with 16 points, seven rebounds and three blocked shots, while Stone added 13 points.
WU returns to action Saturday, Feb. 26 against the University of Chicago. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. at the WU Field House.