Men’s Basketball Wins Thriller in OT Over Emory

Jan. 26 - (PITTSBURGH, Pa.) – The Carnegie Mellon and Emory men’s basketball teams locked horns in a University Athletic Association battle of epic proportions Friday night, as the host Tartans prevailed by the slimmest of margins, winning 71-70 in overtime. The Tartans trailed Emory 70-66 with 1:23 remaining in overtime before they scored the final five points.

At the 1:07 mark of overtime, junior guard Geoff Kozak (Huntingdon, Pa.) passed the ball to freshman guard Jack Anderson (Beaver Falls, Pa.) who was able to lay the ball in and draw the foul. Anderson hit the foul shot to cut the lead to one. The Tartans (10-6, 3-3) defense stepped up big, forcing a shot clock violation by the Eagles (7-9, 1-5). Then Kozak arguably hit the biggest basket of his career with 16 seconds left, laying the ball in to give Carnegie Mellon the 71-70 lead. After a timeout, Eagles senior guard Adrian Sosa dribbled the ball up the court with sophomore guard Corey O’Rourke (Merion, Pa./St. Joe Prep) guarding him. With two seconds left, Sosa pulled up and attempted a three-pointer only to have O’Rourke’s hand block the shot. Sosa got the ball back but was unable to get a shot off before the buzzer sounded, giving the Tartans the thrilling one-point win.

At the end of regulation, the Tartans had to come from behind just to force overtime. Down by one with six seconds left, O’Rourke drove the lane and drew a foul sending him to the line for two shots. After missing his first, O’Rourke hit the second, knotting the game at 65-65. After a timeout, Emory brought the ball up the court but tight defense by the Tartans kept the Eagles from attempting a shot.

The Tartans relied on a balanced attack with senior guard Brad Matta (White Oak, Pa./Serra Catholic) leading the way with 16 points and 12 rebounds, marking his first career double-double. Sophomore forward Ryan Einwag (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) added 15 points and seven rebounds and Anderson finished with a career-high 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting. Kozak contributed 13 points and five assists and O’Rourke dished out seven assists in the win.

Emory had three players in double-figures with Sosa having 19, and senior center Barry Corrado adding 18. Junior guard Spiros Ferderigos had 14 points and 14 rebounds before fouling out midway through overtime.

The Carnegie Mellon men’s basketball team will next be in action on Sunday, January 28 when they face Case Western Reserve. The game is scheduled to start at noon.