Rochester 76, Ohio Wesleyan 69

Nov. 25, 2007

Senior post Dustin Rudegeair (Yellow Springs) scored 7 points during a 12-0 run that gave Ohio Wesleyan an early 14-2 lead, but ninth-ranked Rochester erased that deficit and a 7-point second-half deficit and went on to defeat the Bishops in the championship game of the University of Rochester HIA Tournament on Sunday in Rochester, N.Y.

Cortland State defeated Baldwin-Wallace, 87-84, in Sunday's consolation game.

With the game tied at 2-2, the Bishops took the lead on a jumper by senior post Jesse Jean (Alexandria, Va./Hyde (Conn.) School) before Rudegeair hit a 3-pointer and a basket and junior wing Kyle Holliday (Van Wert) followed with a 3-point play. Rudegeair capped the run with a jumper that gave Ohio Wesleyan a 14-2 lead less than 5 minutes into the game.

The Bishops still led, 21-10, on a pair of free throws by senior post Ryan Rozak (Fairview Park/Fairview) when Rochester reeled off 9 straight points, including a 3-pointer by Mike Labanowski and buckets by Uche Ndubizu and Dan Milbrand to come within 21-19, and the Yellowjackets would go on to tie the game at 26-26 after consecutive 3-pointers by Robert Dominiak.

Ohio Wesleyan answered with an 8-0 run that included baskets by Jean, Rozak and Holliday, and after a Labanowski 3-pointer, Holliday connected on a free throw and a 3-pointer for a 38-29 Bishop lead with 1:27 left in the half, and Ohio Wesleyan held a 38-30 lead at halftime. The Bishops made 13 of 18 field goal attempts (72.2 percent) during the period.

Jean hit a basket early in the second half for a 40-33 Bishop lead, but Rochester tied the game with a 10-3 run that featured a pair of baskets by Ndubizu and a 3-pointer by Dominiak.

The Bishops responded with a 3-pointer by senior wing Brian Cafarella (Westerville/North) and a basket by Jean for a 48-43 lead with 15:04 to play, and Rochester came back with a 12-0 run that included a pair of 3-pointers by Dominiak, and the Yellowjackets finished the run with a Milbrand lay-in that made it 55-48 with 11:19 remaining.

Rozak knocked down a 3-pointer to end the Rochester run and bring the Bishops within 55-51, but the Yellowjackets countered with a 10-2 spree, with Dominiak hitting a pair of 3-pointers and another basket, for a 65-53 lead with 5:19 to play, and the Bishops would not come closer than the final 7-point margin.

Jean led the Bishops with 17 points and 9 rebounds. Holliday finished with 16 points and Rudegeair scored 14 points.

Dominiak led Rochester with 26 points, going 8-for-11 from 3-point range, and Ndubizu added 17 points. The Yellowjackets shot 73.9 percent from the field during the second half, making 17 of 23 shots, and were 8-for-12 (66.7 percent) from 3-point range during the final 20 minutes.

Jean and Rudegeair represented the Bishops on the all-tournament team.

Box Score