ROCHESTER (Interstat) — Rochester (N.Y.) used a decisive first half and a strong finish to beat Oswego State 72-50 in a women’s NCAA Division III basketball game Tuesday at Louis Alexander Palestra. Attendance was 147. Rochester improved to 2-0, while Oswego State fell to 1-1. Oswego State had opened its season with a win at Hilbert, while Rochester had beaten Rochester Tech at home in its opener.

Rochester set the tone early as Grace Corelli hit three 3-pointers in the opening minutes and Tia Poulakidas and Deniz Alparslan scored inside to help the Yellowjackets build a 21-18 lead after the first quarter. Oswego State stayed close early behind Sarah Hirschler’s layups and jumpers, but Rochester’s shooting allowed the Yellowjackets to take the lead into the second quarter. The Lakers trailed by three after one. Corelli’s third 3-pointer of the opening quarter gave Rochester an 11-8 advantage, and baskets by Poulakidas and Deniz Alparslan pushed the margin to 15-10. The Yellowjackets then broke the game open in the second quarter. Melis Alparslan and Deniz Alparslan scored on layups, Corelli added free throws, and Annelise Dexter hit a 3-pointer and made several free throws during a run that pushed Rochester’s lead to 44-25 by halftime. Dexter finished as Rochester’s top star with 16 points and eight rebounds, while Corelli added 17 points, four assists, three rebounds and one block.

Oswego State’s Sarah Hirschler did much of the offensive work for the Lakers, finishing with 21 points and five rebounds. She scored on layups and jumpers in the first quarter and added free throws late in the second, but the Lakers struggled to keep pace as Rochester’s defense forced 22 turnovers. Rochester turned those turnovers into 27 points, compared with 10 points off turnovers for Oswego State. The Yellowjackets also held a 26-20 advantage in points in the paint.

Rochester continued to control play after halftime. Poulakidas made a layup and a tip-in, Hazell Nickerson added a layup, and Dexter made free throws as the Yellowjackets stretched their lead. Deniz Alparslan converted a layup early in the fourth quarter, and Grace Corelli’s 3-pointer with 4:59 remaining pushed Rochester ahead 70-41. Rochester led by double digits throughout the second half. Oswego State closed with a late push as Jada Crocker made layups, Gianna Washington scored off a turnover, Madison Aikens made two free throws, and Madison McEvoy hit a 3-pointer with 23.6 seconds left to set the final margin.

Crocker finished with six points, 11 rebounds and three assists for Oswego State. Washington added 10 points, six assists and one block, while Aikens had four points, six rebounds, three assists and one block. Deniz Alparslan contributed eight points, six rebounds, one assist and four blocks for Rochester. Macy Bacon added six points, one rebound and one assist, Melis Alparslan had seven points and six assists, and Poulakidas finished with nine points and five rebounds.

Rochester shot 23 of 64 from the floor, 9 of 25 from 3-point range and 17 of 21 from the free throw line. Oswego State shot 18 of 54 overall, 2 of 13 from beyond the arc and 12 of 15 at the line. The Yellowjackets had 11 offensive rebounds, 14 assists and five blocks, while the Lakers had seven offensive rebounds, seven assists and three blocks. Oswego State scored 50 points from 76 possessions for an offensive rating of 65.7. Rochester scored 72 points from 79 possessions for an offensive rating of 91.2.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Oswego State 62, Rochester 61, while Interstat’s ELO system had projected Rochester with a 90.4 percent probability to win.