Holmes Ties 64-Year Single-Game Scoring Mark in Tartans 103-102 Overtime Win at La Roche

Holmes Ties 64-Year Single-Game Scoring Mark in Tartans 103-102 Overtime Win at La Roche

(PITTSBURGH, Pa.) - Sophomore R.J. Holmes (Buffalo Grove, Ill./Adlai Stevenson) of the Carnegie Mellon University men's basketball team tied the program's single-game scoring mark with 43 points in a 103-102 overtime win at La Roche University Wednesday night. The Tartans are now 2-1 overall while the Redhawks start the year 0-1.

Holmes 43 points ties Bill Sofa's single-game scoring mark from 1957-58 against Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Holmes ended the night shooting 19-of-24 from the floor, including a perfect 2-of-2 from behind the arc. The sophomore also added a career-high 11 rebounds to record his first career double-double and added a career-best five assists.

For the second time this season, Carnegie Mellon had five players score in double figures. Behind Holmes' 43, juniors Kevin Sax (Highlands Ranch, Colo./Thunder Ridge) and Nick Nakasian (Powell, Ohio/Olentangy Liberty) each had 17 with junior Sean Oberman (Flemington, N.J./Hunterdon Central) and sophomore Jack Stone (Newport Beach, Calif./Corona Del Mar) both adding 10. It marked a career-high for Stone and tied a career-best for Sax. Sax also tabbed his first career double-double as he hauled down 10 boards in the win. Junior Josh Berry (Western Springs, Ill./Lyons Township) dished out a career-best six assists.

Both teams had the hot hand, shooting over 50% from the floor for the game. The Tartans shot 54.8% with the Redhawks converting 51.5% from the floor, including knocking down 22-of-41 (53.7%) from long range.

Carnegie Mellon trailed 39-23 with six minutes to play in the first half before closing the half on an 11-5 run to cut the deficit to 44-34. La Roche started the second half holding the momentum and led 77-64 with seven minutes to play in the second. The Tartans then used an 18-4 run over a five-minute stretch to take an 82-81 advantage, the first for the visitors since 2-0.

Four made free throws by La Roche over the next minute of action gave the lead back to the Redhawks at 85-82. With 17.2 seconds left in regulation, Berry convert a pair from the charity stripe. The Tartans then fouled and sent Isaiah Thomas to the line. Thomas made the first and his second attempt fell short and was grabbed by Stone. The ball was pushed up the court and with 4.7 seconds left and a Holmes bucketed knotted the score at 86-86 and sent the game into overtime.

In the extra frame, a Sax layup with 2:50 left put the Tartans ahead 96-60, but back-to-back triples by La Roche tied the score less than a minute later. Carnegie Mellon led 102-99 after a made free throw by Nakasian. Following a timeout by the Redhawks, Joe Pipilo, who led La Roche with 28 points, was fouled at the top of the arc with 1.9 seconds remaining. Pipilo converted all three foul shots to tie the contest, but on the ensuing inbound Carnegie Mellon's Berry was fouled and sent to the line for a pair of foul shots with .3 seconds on the clock. Berry missed his first attempted and then sank his second to preserve the Tartan victory.

The Tartans will be back on the hardwood Saturday, November 13 when they travel across Forbes Avenue to play the Cougars of Chatham University at 1:00 p.m.