The victory puts Rochester into the championship game against Nazareth College, a 70-68 winner over SUNY Geneseo in the other semifinal. Rochester won at Nazareth, 68-51, back in November.
Brockport’s speed caused all sorts of problems for the Yellowjackets. The Golden Eagles forced 18 turnovers (12 steals) and produced 24 points on giveaways. When Rochester could maneuver, the Yellowjackets hit their shots. Rochester made 28 of 51 from the floor (54.9%). In the second half, the Yellowjackets connected on 15 of 26 (57.7%).
Dominiak sank all five of his field goals (including both three-pointers) and was five for five from the line for 17 points. Mike Chmielowiec scored 17 points (three treys), and Uche Ndubizu produced a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Jon Onyiriuka had 10 points, three assists, and blocked three shots.
For Brockport, All-America guard Sherod Harris led the Golden Eagles with 18 points. Aaron Poles had 14 in 19 minutes off the bench, and Brandon Williams was tough inside with 12 points and seven rebounds. Mychal Wilkes had four steals and three assists. Sherod Harris had three steals.
Neither team could gain a solid foothold in the second half. Dominiak sank all three free throws after being fouled by Wilkes on a three-point attempt. That put Rochester ahead by four, 37-33. Brockport ran off a 9-0 run in less than three minutes to take a five-point lead, 42-37, with 15:19 left. Shawn Harris scored six points and Sherod Harris started the run with a deep three from the left of the key.
It stayed tight. With Rochester ahead by two, Williams completed a three-point play. He caught a Wilkes dump-in from the key, whirled into Ndubizu, got the hook to drop, and drew the foul. It put Brockport up, 63-62, with 4:05 to go.
That turned out to be Brockport’s last lead. Dominiak sank two three-pointers and Chmielowiec canned a three-pointer from the right corner for a 67-63 lead. Dominiak’s six footer from the left side of the lane kept the lead at four, 69-65, with 2:07 left.
Sherod Harris made two free throws and Poles hit one, pulling the Golden Eagles within 69-68 with 1:07 to play.
The Yellowjackets broke the pressure and got the ball to Onyiriuka deep in the forecourt. He found Dominiak spotted up in the left corner and the trey fell through cleanly for a 72-68 lead.
Single free throws by Jeff Juron, Mike Labanowski, and Uche Ndubizu in the final 36 seconds helped to secure the win.
The Yellowjackets improved to 11-0. Brockport is 5-5.
Newspaper Box Score SUNY Brockport vs Rochester 01/11/08 8:15 pm at Palestra - JPMorgan Chase Semifinal At Palestra - JPMorgan Chase Semifinal ROCHESTER 75, SUNY BROCKPORT 70 SUNY BROCKPORT (5-5) HARRIS,Sherod 6-13 4-4 18; POLES,Aaron 5-10 1-2 14; WILLIAMS,Brandon 5-10 2-3 12; WILKES,Mychal 3-12 2-2 9; HARRIS,Shawn 3-6 0-0 6; MALDONADO,Dave 2-6 0-0 6; JOHNSON,Jermaine 2-3 0-0 4; PARRISH,Cantrel 0-6 1-2 1; KAYS,Eamon 0-2 0-0 0; ZENKEL,Josh 0-0 0-0 0; MACK,Ian 0-0 0-0 0; CLARKE,Joe 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 26-68 10-13 70. ROCHESTER (11-0) Ndubizu, Uche 8-10 2-8 18; Chmielowiec, Mike 7-14 0-1 17; Dominiak, Robert 5-5 5-5 17; Onyiriuka, Jon 5-10 0-2 10; Juron, Jeff 1-1 3-4 6; Runco, Brad 1-3 2-2 4; Kaplan, Max 1-2 0-0 2; Labanowski, Mike 0-2 1-2 1; Roberson, Marcus 0-0 0-0 0; Milbrand, Dan 0-4 0-0 0; Murphy, Matt 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 28-51 13-24 75. SUNY Brockport................ 32 38 - 70 Rochester..................... 32 43 - 75 3-point goals-SUNY Brockport 8-26 (POLES,Aaron 3-6; MALDONADO,Dave 2-6; HARRIS,Sherod 2-4; WILKES,Mychal 1-6; PARRISH,Cantrel 0-1; JOHNSON,Jermaine 0-1; HARRIS,Shawn 0-2), Rochester 6-14 (Chmielowiec, Mike 3-9; Dominiak, Robert 2-2; Juron, Jeff 1-1; Labanowski, Mike 0-1; Runco, Brad 0-1). Fouled out--SUNY Brockport-None, Rochester-Runco, Brad. Rebounds-SUNY Brockport 32 (WILLIAMS,Brandon 7), Rochester 38 (Ndubizu, Uche 11). Assists-SUNY Brockport 8 (WILKES,Mychal 3; HARRIS,Sherod 3), Rochester 16 (Onyiriuka, Jon 3; Milbrand, Dan 3). Total fouls-SUNY Brockport 20, Rochester 17. A-1125 Rochester will play Nazareth in Chase final at 8 pm Saturday. Brockport will play Geneseo for third place at 3 pm.