Diplomats Hold Home Court, Top the Tartans 71-61

(LANCASTER, Pa.) – The Carnegie Mellon University men's basketball team traveled to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, to face Franklin & Marshall College on Friday, December 30. The Diplomats protected their home court and topped the Tartans, 71-61. The Tartans are now 5-5 for the season while the Diplomats improved to 6-3.

Three players scored in double figures for the Tartans with senior Jack Serbin (New Albany, Ohio/New Albany) leading with 13 points. Senior Chris Shkil (Mentor, Ohio/Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin) scored 12 down low for the Tartans while junior Ryan Maha (West Mifflin, Pa./West Mifflin) contributed 11 points, hitting three shots from behind the arc.

The Tartans made four of their first six shots to take an 8-3 lead and led 13-12 more than seven minutes into the game before the Diplomats took their first lead, 14-13, on a layup by Lionel Owona with 10:27 to go in the half.

Franklin & Marshall held a 21-17 lead before sophomore Seth Henry (Fulton, Md./Reservoir) scored on a layup and freshman Zach Howarth (Freehold, N.J./St. John Vianney) drained a three-pointer to retake the lead for the Tartans at 22-21. Two possessions later, Julius Stoma converted a three-point play giving the lead back to F&M with a little more than five minutes remaining in the period.

That lead for the Diplomats would hold to the end of the period when the home team led 35-29 at the break.

A 13-6 run in the first five minutes of the second half gave the Tartans back the lead after Serbin hit a three-pointer, the third of the half for the Tartans.

Howarth made two free throws to give the Tartans a 44-41 lead but it was the last of the game for the Tartans as the home team ran off seven straight points and never trailed by less than three for the final 13:16.

In the end, a season-high 25 turnovers did the Tartans in as the Diplomats scored 34 points off the miscues by the Tartans. Carnegie Mellon shot 45.1% for the game while the Diplomats shot 50.0% and were led by Brandon Federici's 27 points.

The Tartans will return home to play Brockport State (8-1) on Monday, January 2 at 3:00 p.m. for their last game before starting University Athletic Association (UAA) play on Saturday, January 7 when Case Western Reserve University (3-6) visits Pittsburgh at 5:00 p.m.