Case Western Reserve University sophomore forward Kayla Characklis tallied her team-leading fifth double-double of the season, and first-year guard/ forward Lucy Vanderbeck added a career-high 13 points during the Spartans' 68-55 loss at the University of Rochester in Rochester, New York on Sunday afternoon.

The loss dropped the Spartans to 8-16 overall and to 3-10 in the University Athletic Association with one game remaining on the schedule. Rochester improved 15-9 overall with a 7-6 conference record.

Characklis led all Spartan players with 19 points on an eight-of-15 shooting effort, while matching her career-high with 12 rebounds. She added two assists and a block on Sunday. Vanderbeck's 13 points came on a four-of-10 shooting performance, including a three-of-six mark from behind the three-point line, while adding four rebounds.

Characklis paced the Spartans during the opening quarter, collecting four rebounds and scoring six of the team's 12 points over the first 10 minutes of the game. She connected on a jumper with 40 seconds left in the period to give CWRU its first lead of the game, 12-10, but a shot at the buzzer by Rochester tied the game at 12-12 heading into the second quarter.

Sophomore guard Margaret Terry scored the first four points of the second quarter to give CWRU a 16-12 lead with 8:51 to play in the half and the Spartans went on to lead by as many as seven points during the frame, going ahead 24-17 on a layup by junior guard/ forward Isabella Mills with 5:25 remaining. However, the Yellowjackets regained the lead, going ahead 26-25 on a pair of free throws with 2:15 left in the quarter and eventually grabbing a three-point lead before Vanderbeck evened the score at 28-28 with a three-point shot with 1:21 remaining in the period. Rochester hit a three in the closing minute to retake a three-point advantage, but sophomore guard Sarah Mitchell hit a layup on the Spartans' final possession of the half to cut the Yellowjackets advantage to 31-30 going into halftime.

Rochester began to pull away in the third quarter, opening the period on a 17-4 run to open a 14-point lead with 3:51 remaining, 48-34. But, the Spartans responded with a 10-0 run of their own, cutting the deficit to five points, 49-44, after a three by Vanderbeck with 36 seconds left in the period. A layup to end the period by Rochester gave the Yellowjackets a 51-44 lead after three quarters.

CWRU made one final run in the fourth quarter, as Characklis scored the first six points of the period to get the Spartans back within a point, 51-50, with 6:43 remaining. However, Rochester held the Spartans to just five more points for the remainder of the game, and the Yellowjackets pulled away down the stretch for the 13-point victory.

The Spartans will be back in Cleveland to wrap-up their 2021-22 season next weekend, hosting Carnegie Mellon at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 26. Saturday will also mark 'Senior Day' for Case Western Reserve, as the team will recognize its lone graduating player, guard/ forward Abbey Lawrence, with a ceremony prior to the start of the game.