Free Throw Shooting Boosts Tartans Over Case Western
Stats
Jan. 28 - (PITTSBURGH, Pa.) – Strong free throw shooting down the stretch allowed the Carnegie Mellon men’s basketball team to prevail over University Athletic Association (UAA) foe Case Western Reserve University on Sunday, January 28. The Tartans won 58-53 in Skibo Gymnasium, improving their record to 11-6 overall and 4-3 in the UAA while Case Western fell to 4-14 and 0-7.
Senior guard Brad Matta’s (White Oak, Pa./Serra Catholic) lay-up with 7:59 remaining gave the Tartans their biggest lead of 11 at 48-37. The Tartans held on the rest of the way, despite not making another field goal, for the win. Case Western went on a 16-4 run, taking their first lead of the game at 53-52 with 58 seconds remaining. On the following possession, sophomore forward Ryan Einwag (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) drew a foul and hit both free throws to let Carnegie Mellon retake the lead with 37 seconds left. Case Western then turned the ball over and was forced to foul again. Sophomore forward Jon Wolleben (Plattsburgh, N.Y.) made both foul shots to give the Tartans a three point lead with 22 seconds left. The Spartans missed another shot and the Tartans sealed the deal with two more free throws, making them 12-13 from the free throw line in the second half.
The Tartans never trailed in the first half, as sophomore center Rob Pearson (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Wood) nailed a jumper 13 seconds in to start the scoring. Carnegie Mellon increased their lead to 26-16 with 2:44 remaining in the half before Case generated some offense and cut the score to 26-22 heading into halftime. The Tartans only committed two turnovers in the entire first half and held Case to 31% shooting. Case kept the game close by holding a 26-12 rebounding advantage.
Einwag led the Tartans with 16 points and six rebounds and Pearson added a career-high 13 points. Junior guard Geoff Kozak (Huntingdon, Pa.) led the team with six assists to complement his six points. Case Western Reserve was led by forward Mason Conrad’s 15 points and 10 rebounds. Center Rob Skuski added 14 points and nine rebounds in the loss.
Case Western finished with a 44-28 rebounding advantage and they outshot the Tartans 39.6% to 35.7%. The Tartans won the turnover battle, committing only six compared to the Spartans’ 16.
The Carnegie Mellon men’s basketball team will take to the road next to play this same Case Western Reserve team on Friday, February 2, in what is scheduled to be an 8:00 pm start.
