Serbin Records Sixth Double-Double as Tartans Remain Perfect at 9-0

Serbin Records Sixth Double-Double as Tartans Remain Perfect at 9-0

(PITTSBURGH, Pa.) - The Carnegie Mellon University men's basketball team hosted the Eagles of Juniata College on Wednesday, December 31 and closed out 2014 with a 55-45 victory over the Eagles. Carnegie Mellon is now 9-0 as Juniata moves to 5-5.
    
With Carnegie Mellon trailing 24-14 with 8:16 to play in the first half, the home team used a 12-0 run to take its first lead of the contest.  Senior Seth Cordts (Amherst, N.H./Souhegan) ended the stretch with a three-pointer with 3:43 showing on the clock in the first frame.  Juniata scored the final four points of the half to take a 28-26 edge into the break.

The Tartans finished the half shooting 26.7% from the floor while the Eagles started the game shooting 64.3% (9-14) from the floor over the first eight minutes before cooling off and made 1-of-12 to end the first twenty minutes of play and shoot 38.5% for the half.

Juniata continued its drought to start the second half, as the Eagles missed their seven first shot allowing Carnegie Mellon to the lead, one the Tartans never lost.

Carnegie Mellon used a 15-1 run to grab a 42-31 with 11 minutes to play, as five different Tartans scored during the stretch.  Juniata didn't go away cutting the Tartans lead to 45-39 with7:44 to play, but the home team used a 10-2 scamper over the next five minutes to take its largest lead of the contest and seal the victory.  The run started on a long ball by Jason Sebak (New Kensington, Pa./Kiski Prep), as the junior scored five of his career-high 11 points during the stretch.

Besides Sebak, Cordts and Serbin finished in double digits scoring 15 and 10, respectively.  Serbin hauled in a game-high 14 rebounds to tally his sixth double-double of the season.  The Tartans continued to control the glass, as they outrebounded their eight opponent grabbing 42 boards to the Eagles 35.      

Juniata was led by Kyle Koehler's 12 points.

Carnegie Mellon will entertain Heidelberg University on Saturday, January 3.  Tip is set for 3:00 p.m. on the hardwood of Skibo Gymnasium.