Men’s Basketball Falls Short Versus Rochester
Stats
Dec. 2 – (PITTSBURGH, Pa.) – The Carnegie Mellon men’s basketball team was defeated by the University of Rochester Yellowjackets by the score of 60-51 on Saturday, December 2 in the University Athletic Association opener for both teams. In a physical game that was close throughout, the Yellowjackets used a late second half run to build an eight-point lead with five minutes to go that the Tartans could not overcome.
Rochester (5-1 overall, 1-0 in the UAA) built a 21-14 lead halfway through the first half only to have Carnegie Mellon (3-2, 0-1) tie the game at 23 on a three-pointer by senior guard Brad Matta (White Oak, Pa./Serra Catholic). The game was knotted at 29 at the break thanks to sophomore forward Ryan Einwag’s (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) free throw with two seconds remaining.
The two teams played even for the first 13 minutes of the second half with neither team generating a lead of more than three points. Rochester then turned a 43-42 deficit into a 52-44 lead with 5:12 remaining thanks to good inside-outside play. The Tartans had chances to get back in the game but they struggled from the free throw line down the stretch, making only six of their last 15 attempts.
Matta led Carnegie Mellon with 13 points and Einwag added 12 points, including going 8-of-14 from the free throw line. Sophomore center Rob Pearson (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Wood) led the team with eight rebounds. Rochester was led by junior Uche Ndubizu and his size and strength. Ndubizu collected 21 points and 15 rebounds, despite only shooting 3-of-12 from the free throw line. Junior point guard Jeff Juron and junior Michael Chmielowiec each added 11 points in the win.
Rochester shot 43% from the field while the Tartans finished at 34%. Rochester held a 30-22 advantage in points in the paint, and both teams struggled from the free throw line with Rochester shooting 53% and Carnegie Mellon finishing at 59%.
The Carnegie Mellon men’s basketball team will next be in action on Monday, December 4 as they host LaRoche College in what is scheduled to be a 7:30 tip.
