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Vermilion needed 40 full minutes of basketball to upset Rochester.
But a poor first half foiled any opportunity for an upset for the community college men’s basketball team, which was held to 27 opening-half points and fell 94-71 to the highly-touted Yellowjackets.
It was Rochester’s second win in as many tries this winter against the Ironhawks, who closed out a brutal pre-holiday stretch and went into the break at 1-9 overall.
But that record includes two defeats to the Yellowjackets, two more to NJCAA Division I Williston State and two more to the nation’s top-rated Division III JUCO - Riverland.
Rochester (7-3) shot the lights out early on and went 12-for-21 (57 percent) from three-point distance in the game, and was 56 percent from the floor overall.
The Yellowjackets also enjoyed a huge 45-21 edge on the boards, limiting Vermilion to very few second shot opportunities.
Freshman Mudia Gbowa sank three triples for the Ironhawks and had a teamhigh 13 points to go with five rebounds.
Teammate Jaylen Shelly, who had a career-high 33 points only two nights earlier, added 12 points while Rashad Gatewood contributed 11 points. Judah Pickens came off the bench to notch nine points for the Ironhawks.
Vermilion could do little to slow down the Yellowjackets’ Sam Jennings, who was lethal from the outside.
Jennings connected on eight-of-nine three-point attempts and led all scorers with 32 points and teammates Sam Jennings was next with 16.
Vermilion is in the midst of a lengthy holiday break and will resume play Jan. 4, when it begins Northern Division play at Northland.
The Ironhawks are hoping for a top-four finish in the division and the program’s first postseason berth since 2018.
