Poor Shooting Night Dooms #24 Men’s Basketball Against #2 Brandeis

Jan. 18 – (PITTSBURGH, Pa.) – The 24th ranked Carnegie Mellon University’s comeback against #2 Brandeis in men’s basketball action Friday night fell short as the Judges withstood an early second half comeback bid to defeat the host Tartans 60-48 in Skibo Gymnasium. The win improves Brandeis’s record to 12-1 overall and 2-0 in the University Athletic Association (UAA). The Tartans fall to 10-3 overall and 0-2 in the UAA.

Brandeis took the lead early over Carnegie Mellon and stayed on top throughout the first half. Leading 23-16 at the 6:37 mark, the Judges went on an 8-0 spurt to increase their lead to 15 points. That’s where the lead would stay with the Tartans going into halftime down 35-20. Brandeis shot 55.2% in the first twenty minutes whereas the Tartans shot 27.6%.

The Tartans made things interesting in the second half, getting the home crowd into it as the Cardinal and Gray went on an 11-1 run to open the final 20 minutes. The Tartans made their first four shots, highlighted by a jumper from senior guard Geoff Kozak (Huntingdon, Pa.) on which he drew a foul and made the subsequent free throw.

The Tartans got another three-point play the old fashioned way when junior Ryan Einwag (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) laid the ball in, drew the foul, and made the ensuing free throw. Einwag’s three-point play narrowed the score to 38-34 with 13:55 remaining.

The Tartans would get no closer, as after a Kozak three-pointer made it 44-39, the Judges reeled off seven straight points to push their lead back into double digits. The Judges extended their lead and at the 4:19 mark held a 57-41 advantage. The Tartans got a couple shots to fall down the stretch before the final buzzer and the 12-point defeat.

Brandeis sophomore forward Terrell Hollins provided the scoring in the post as he scored a game-high 18 points. Judges junior guard Kevin Olson came off the bench to add 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting. Carnegie Mellon shot slightly better in the second half but still finished at a woeful 35.7% for the game while Brandeis shot right about their season average at 48.0%. Einwag’s 13 points led Carnegie Mellon with Kozak contributing ten. Senior center Greg Gonzalez (Southlake, Texas/Carroll) pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds to go with his three blocks.

The Carnegie Mellon men’s team will next be in action on Sunday when they host the New York University Violets at noon in Skibo Gymnasium.