UNION, N.J. - The CNU women's basketball team's perfect season came to an end in a tough, 74-69, loss to Rochester in the Sweet 16 Round of the NCAA Tournament Friday night at Kean University.
  The Captains battled from behind twice, but eventually dropped their first, and only, game of the season after running off 30 straight wins.
  Despite trailing much of the game, CNU actually got off to a good start, leading until the Yellowjackets pushed in front, 10-9, at th15:12 mark. That was the start of a 10-0 run that saw Rochester grab an 18-9 lead. They eventually extended the margin to 12, at the 7:14 mark on a three-pointer by Jessica Mastronardi. At halftime UR led, 39-31, after having shot .556 from the floor, to the Captains' .353, and holding a 22-12 rebound margin.
  But CNU quickly got right back in it. Within five minutes the margin was down to 45-44 on a three-pointer by Chelsie Schweers. A minute and a half later Alysa Kerr made a layup that tied the game, 48-48, with 13:31 to go.
  Rochester gradually extended the lead back to ten, 67-57, with 4:13 to play, but the Captains were not done.
  CNU mounted a 10-2 run of its own, and Lauren Gural hit a jumper with 1:06 to go to bring the Captains within two, 69-67, at the 1:06 mark.
  The Yellowjackets got two free throws from leading scorer Melissa Alwardt at the 43 second Mark, but Kimmy Hopkins countered with two of her own with 21 seconds remaining to cut the deficit back to two at 71-69.
  CNU fouled Alwardt again, this time with 21 seconds to go. She made one of two, missing the second with Jessica Moore getting the rebound for CNU. But Alwardt blocked a three-point attempt by Schweers with seven seconds left, and got the ball back in the closing seconds as CNU fouled Alwardt again. Her two free throws accounted for the final score.
  Alwardt finished with 25 points, including 12-14 from the foul line.
  For CNU, Schweers scored 27 and concluded her junior year with 1,999 points. Moore added 13 with seven rebounds and is, herself, just 14 from the 1,000 mark.
  Rochester is 22-6 and faces the winner of the Kean-Bowdoin game in the Elite 8 Saturday.

The box score