Women’s Basketball Tops Bethany 60-55 in Season Opener

Nov. 16 – (PITTSBURGH, Pa.) – The Carnegie Mellon University women’s basketball team opened its 2009-2010 campaign Monday, November 16, hosting the Bison of Bethany College at Skibo Gymnasium. The Tartans regained the lead with 14:02 left in the first half and never looked back, as they topped the Bison 60-55.

Carnegie Mellon jumped out to an early 7-4 lead before the Bison rattled off five unanswered points to take their only lead of the contest, 9-7, with 14:44 to play in the first half. On the Tartans next trip down the court, freshman Emily Peel (Long Valley, N.J./West Morris Central) hit a jumper in the paint to knot the score at 9-9. Following a missed lay-up by Bethany, sophomore Jacki Cortese (Pittsburgh, Pa./Vincentian Academy) gave the lead back to the at 11-9, one the Cardinal and Gray did not relinquish the rest of the game.

The score remained close the rest of the half as the Tartans led 28-25 heading into the locker room. Peel led all scorers at the break with 10 points after going 5-6 from the field. Cortese finished the first twenty minutes of action 4-6 from the floor for eight points.

In the second half, Carnegie Mellon led by as many as 11 points, 50-39, with 4:10 to play in the contest. The Bison did not go down without a fight, as they went on a 10-4 run over the next 3:30 of action, but it was a little too late as the Tartans went on for the 60-55 victory.

Carnegie Mellon shot 38.0% (19-50) from the floor, while the Bison shot 44.2% (23-52). The home team had the edge on the glass, 34-33, with Peel leading the way with a game-high 13 rebounds.

Cortese led all scorers with 18 points, including an 8-8 effort from the charity stripe. Peel tallied 13 to record the double-double. Sophomore Alex Hansen (Westlake, Ohio/Lake Ridge) chipped in with nine points in the win, while senior forward Rachelle Roll (Ostrander, Ohio/Buckeye Valley) and freshman Brit Phillips (Parma, Ohio/Normandy) both added eight. Phillips also dished out a game-high four assists and had two block shots.

Bethany was led by sophomore forward Katelynn Hackathorn’s 12 points. Sophomore Audr Droginski had nine points, while sophomore Anne Wilson and freshman Kayla Taormina had eight apiece. Hackathorn grabbed a team-high seven rebounds for the Bison

The Carnegie Mellon women’s basketball team will next be in action on Friday, November 20 against Marietta College in the opening day of the 3rd Annual Radisson UAA/OAC Challenge. Tip is set for 8:00 p.m. on the hardwood of Skibo Gymnasium. On Saturday, November 21 the Cardinal and Gray will face John Carroll University at 4:00 p.m. in the second day of the challenge.