Tartans Stellar Second Half at Rochester Results in 76-70 Victory

(ROCHESTER, N.Y.) - The Carnegie Mellon University men's basketball team traveled to the University of Rochester Sunday, January 19 for a University Athletic Association (UAA) contest. The Tartans erased a 13-point first half deficit to pullout a 76-70 victory. Freshman Jack Serbin (New Albany, Ohio) scored a career-high 24 points to help improve the Tartans record to 9-5, 2-1 while Rochester moves to 7-7, 1-2.
    
Rochester used a 9-0 run midway through the first half to claim a 21-8 lead with eight minutes to play.  A layup by junior Matt Loebbaka (Mt. Prospect, Ill./Prospect) snapped the Yellowjackets run and was a start to a better shooting performance for the Tartans after starting the game making two of their first 20 shots.

Carnegie Mellon shot 50% (7-14) the rest of the half and pulled within seven at 27-20 on a layup by senior Rob Mohen (Stamford, Conn./Regis (NY)) with 3:52 to play. A hook shot by Rochester's Tyler Sankes with two seconds left in the half gave the home team a 35-25 lead at the break. The Yellowjackets shot 50% from the field for the half to Carnegie Mellon's 27%.

Serbin started the second half connecting on two three-pointers sandwiched with a foul shot by senior Christian Manoli (San Rafael, Calif./Terra Linda) to cut the deficit to 37-32, 1:22 into play.  Rochester answered by scoring seven straight, but over the next 11 minutes Carnegie Mellon used a 27-5 run and led 59-49 with 6:25 to play in the game.

At the 10-minute mark, Serbin gave the Tartans their first lead of the game at 48-47 on a trey, but Rochester responded on its next possession and retook the lead 49-48. Once again Serbin struck making his fifth long ball of the game and put the Tartans ahead for good.

Carnegie Mellon led by as many as 14 (66-52) with 3:38 to play but the Yellowjackets did not go down without a fight.  Rochester used a 13-3 run to cut the visitor's lead to 69-65 with 1:14 left, but the Tartans converted 7-of-8 from the foul line down the stretch to walk away with a 76-70 victory.

The Tartans ended the game shooting 40% from the floor and 46% from long range while Rochester shot 44% from the floor.  Serbin alone was 7-of-10 from the floor including 6-of-9 from behind the arc.  Manoli, who converted 5-of-6 from the line in the last minute of play, ended with 14 points and seven rebounds.  Mohen and senior Asad Meghani (Dallas, Texas/The Greenhill School) tallied 12 and 10 in the win.  The Tartans converted a season-low five turnovers while Rochester ended the game with 15.

Jack Montague led Rochester with 19 points. Tyler Sankes had 14, Kevin Sheehy 12 and Nate Veron 10 in the setback for the Yellowjackets.

The Tartans will continue UAA play on Friday, January 24 as they entertain the University of Chicago.  Tip is set for 8:00 p.m. against the Maroons.