Otto's Double-Double Leads Tartans to Seventh Victory

(PITTSBURGH, Pa.) - Sophomore Liza Otto's (Glastonbury, Conn./Glastonbury) seventh career double-double led the Carnegie Mellon University women's basketball team to an 85-30 victory over Chatham University on Monday, December 30 to close out the first half of the season. The Tartans are now 7-2 for the year while the Cougars fall to 2-8.

Otto scored 13 points on 50% shooting from the field and grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds while dishing out five assists for the Tartans.

Carnegie Mellon opened the game with an 8-0 run and was ahead 20-11 before Otto scored her first bucket at the 10:52 mark. At halftime, the Tartans led by 27, 45-18, as they shot 48.6% from the field to the Cougars' 26.9%.

Freshman Lisa Murphy (McLean, Va./McLean) scored 12 of her game-high 17 points in the first half.

The Tartans' shooting percentage dipped in the second half to 38.5% but the Cougars dropped to 8.3%, hitting only two shots for the half and scoring just 12 points.

The Tartans ruled the paint, scoring 48 points for the game and scored 18 fast break points. They also kept control of the boards with 58 rebounds to the Cougars' 38.

Junior Gabrielle West (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mount Notre Dame) contributed 12 points and four assists while senior Jacquie Shaw (Portland, Ore./Grant) had five assists and scored five points.

The Tartans will continue their season in the new year with a Saturday afternoon tilt at home in Skibo Gymnasium against Penn State Altoona at 2:00 p.m.