#11 Men’s Basketball Shocked By Case Western
Stats
Jan. 20 - (PITTSBURGH, Pa.) – Senior forward Marques Johnson’s (Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper St. Clair) potential game-tying three-pointer bounced off the front of the rim and the #11 ranked Carnegie Mellon men’s basketball team was upset by University Athletic Association (UAA) rival Case Western Reserve University 72-69 on Friday, January 22 in a filled to capacity Skibo Gymnasium. The Tartans lose for only the second time this season and the first time in the UAA to move to 13-2 overall and 3-1 in the UAA. The Spartans improve to 10-5 and 2-2.
Carnegie Mellon got off to a slow start and found themselves down 28-19 with 6:04 remaining in the first half. They were able to narrow the deficit to 35-33 going into halftime thanks to a jumper by Johnson with 18 seconds left in the half.
The Tartans followed up a poor shooting first half with more of the same in the second, but despite their inconsistencies from the field they were able to take the lead 41-39 on a three-pointer by senior guard A.J. Straub (St. Mary’s Pa./Elk County Catholic) with 16:07 off a pass from senior forward Nate Maurer (Pittsburgh, Pa./Linsly School). The lead changed hands a few more times including when reserve junior guard Brad Matta (White Oak, Pa./Serra Catholic) drilled a three to put the Tartans up 56-53 with 10:49 remaining.
The Tartans pushed their lead up to 62-55 with 8:32 left before Case Western Reserve came storming back. The Spartans controlled the tempo the rest of the way and when guard Funso Lafe sank a tough fade away jumper with 1:41 to go, the Spartans went up 66-64.
Sophomore guard Geoff Kozak (Huntingdon, Pa.) had a good look at a three with 1:28 left, but it wouldn’t go down and the Spartans hauled down the rebound. After a 30 second timeout, Spartan guard Richard Mullen drained a three-pointer, a dagger in the hearts of those who bleed Tartan plaid, to put Case Western Reserve up 69-64 with 59 seconds remaining. After a pair of free throws by Tartan senior forward Clayton Barlow-Wilcox (Brookline, Mass.) and a lay-up by Lafe, the Tartans called a timeout with 25 seconds left. Needing a basket badly, Johnson answered the call for Carnegie Mellon and drilled a three to cut the lead to 71-69 with 15 seconds left. Lafe made the first end of a one-and-one but missed the second, leaving the door open for the Tartans. With four seconds to go, Johnson received a pass at the top of the arc and fired the potential game-tying three that was off the mark.
Spartan forward Carson Oren led all scorers with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Lafe added 18 points off the bench in the win. The Tartans had all nine of their players who saw action score. Johnson led the Tartans with 13 points, and Maurer added 12 points and nine rebounds. Straub finished with nine points, while making it 18 straight games with a made three-pointer.
The Tartans were plagued with poor shooting throughout as they shot 35.3% for the game on 24-68 shooting. They were a meager 8-32 on three-pointers and shot only 61.9% from the free throw line. Case Western Reserve finished 29-58 for 50% shooting, connected on 79% of their free throws, and outscored the Tartans 38-22 in points in the paint. Carnegie Mellon was out rebounded 45-37 but the Tartans forced 21 turnovers and committed only 14.
The Carnegie Mellon men’s basketball team will next suit up on Sunday, January 22 when they host UAA opponent Emory University. The game is scheduled to commence at noon in Skibo Gymnasium, with the Carnegie Mellon and Emory women’s teams to follow at around 2:00 p.m.
