FEROCIOUS SECOND-HALF RUN POWERS WARRIORS PAST CLEARY

ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich. - It might've taken them a second, but the Warriors (11-10, 8-7) found a whole new gear in the third quarter against the Cleary Cougars (4-17, 4-11) on Wednesday night in Garth Pleasant Arena, 71-59. After ending the first half down 36-21, Rochester came out of the locker room on fire, using a 27-5 run in the third quarter to flip the game.

It was another dominant interior showing for center Melanie Moore, who scored 12 points and grabbed 16 rebounds. Forwards Jacey Somers and Ashley Loon led Rochester with 13 points each, while guard Imari Martin logged four steals to continue her record-setting season.

THE RUNDOWN

FIRST HALF

• It might be an understatement to say Rochester's offense got off to a bad start, with the Cougars going zone and stifling the Warriors at every turn. Rochester had seven turnovers in the quarter, while the Cougars turned those opportunities into fastbreak points. Loon hit the lone three of the quarter for the Warriors
• While an improvement was shown with shooting efficiency, the Warriors continued to turn the ball over. Threes from Martin, Loon, and Mershimer helped Rochester keep the game within reach, and forward Ella Burger made a spectacular wrap-around pass to find Moore in the zone. However, there was much work left to do at the halftime break for the Warriors

SECOND HALF

• Immediately, the physicality of Rochester became known with Moore creating two baskets off offensive rebounds. On the defensive side, Loon set the tone with a steal and score, followed by another putback from Moore. Somers scored seven points during the period, finding pockets in the zone and hitting open looks. In the blink of an eye, Rochester was on a 19-2 run to turn the game in the opposite direction. While shooting 58% from the field, the Warriors held Cleary to 2-9 shooting, shutting the Cougars down
• The Warriors continued to break the Cougars' zone, with forward Grace Lodes finding opportunities thanks to quick passes from Somers. The pair combined for 12 points during the fourth quarter, and Rochester continued to lock down the Cougars on the outside. Despite a late run from Cleary, Rochester's momentum was too much, ending the game 71-59

STAT OF THE GAME

Since the start of the 2022-23 season, this is Imari Martin's 11th 4+ steal game, the most in such a span in Warrior history.

UP NEXT

Rochester prepares for a big matchup with the Lawrence Tech Blue Devils on Saturday, Feb. 3 at 1 p.m.

Hussein Murray - RU Athletic Communications

Featured Image: Hanna Swanson - RU Athletics