Men’s Basketball Ends Regular Season with 72-60 Loss

Feb. 24 – (ROCHESTER, N.Y.) – The Carnegie Mellon men’s basketball team ended their regular season with a 72-60 setback at the University of Rochester, Saturday, February 24 in University Athletic Association (UAA) action. The Tartans end their regular season at 12-12 and 5-9 in the UAA, as the Yellowjackets finish 18-7, 9-5.

The first half proved to be a game of runs. Carnegie Mellon started the game with a 13-3 run, but saw their ten point lead diminish to two (15-13) after Rochester went on a 10-3 run. The Tartans answered the Yellowjackets run with an 8-2 run over the next four minutes to expand their lead back to eight (23-15). During the run senior guard Brad Matta (White Oak, Pa./Serra Catholic) scored six straight points for the Tartans and finished with 14 for the half.

The Yellowjackets proceeded the Tartans second run of the game with a 17-2 run of their own taking their first lead of the game 32-25 with 3:20 left in the first half. Rochester then held onto the lead heading into the locker room with the 38-33 edge.

Rochester opened the second half on a 7-0 run extending their lead to 45-33 with 17:25 to play. Matta ended the Yellowjacket run after converting the traditional three-point play to pull the Rochester lead back to single digits at 45-36.

With 11:23 left in regulation the Yellojackets built a 17 lead (57-40). Carnegie Mellon would not give up, as they managed to cut the deficit to 61-51, but two straight treys by Rochester’s Tim Brackney stopped the Tartans threat and put the Yellowjackets up 67-51 with 6:20 on the clock. The Tartans played even basketball the rest of the way, but that was not enough, as Rochester went onto the 72-60 victory.

Matta led the way for the Tartans with a career-high 22 points. Sophomore forward Ryan Einwag (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) was the only other player in double figures for the Tartans, as he finished with 13. The Tartans shot 36% from the floor to the Yellowjackets 44%.

The Tartans will now wait until Monday to see if they have earned a bid to the ECAC South Region Tournament. Carnegie Mellon last appeared in the ECAC Tournament two season’s ago losing in the semifinals to Catholic University.