Tartans Defeat Penn State Altoona on the Road 69-59

(ALTOONA, Pa.) – The Carnegie Mellon University women's basketball team traveled to Penn State Altoona for its third game in four days and walked out with a 69-59 victory to move to 4-1 on the season. The Tartans controlled the paint and the boards in a cleanly played contest with only 21 total fouls called.

Junior Liza Otto (Glastonbury, Conn./Glastonbury) returned to the starting lineup after sitting out the last two games and showed she didn't miss a beat, as she scored a game- and season-high 20 points and grabbed seven rebounds.

Otto started the game with a layup and gave the Tartans their largest lead of the game later in the half with a fast break layup which put the visitors up 36-19.

Early in the first half, Altoona kept the game close as Nicole Gripp nailed a three-pointer to tie the score at 9-9 with 3:38 gone by before two jumpers and an offensive put-back gave the Tartans a 15-9 lead nearly three minutes later. Senior Chandler Caufield (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) hit back-to-back shots with a jumper and a three-pointer to extend the Tartan lead to double digits, 25-15, with 8:37 to play in the half. Caufield's spurt ignited a 16-6 run for the Cardinal and Gray that ended with Otto's fast break layup.

The Lions did cut the halftime deficit to single digits with seven straight points to end the period, as the Tartans led 40-31 at the break. The Tartans out-rebounded the Lions 29-18 in the first half which led to nine second-chance points.

Carnegie Mellon stretched its lead back to 17 points with an 8-0 run as sophomore Lisa Murphy (McLean, Va./McLean) and Otto sandwiched two baskets by junior Lindsay Poss (Poolesville, Md./Poolesville). The Tartans would maintain a double-digit lead until 4:40 left to go in the game when a three-pointer by Devin Stessney of Altoona made the score 62-53.

The Tartans didn't falter down the stretch, however, as Otto scored four points and Murphy three to put the difference back to 10 as the game ended with the Tartans dribbling out the clock.

Murphy finished the game with her second double-double of the season with 15 points and 12 rebounds. She also tied a career-high with six blocks. Poss scored in double figures for the third time this season with 11 points as she grabbed seven rebounds and collected four assists.

The Tartans finished the game shooting 43.5% to the Lions' 29.7% and won the battle on the boards, 52-34.

The Tartans continue their season with a home contest tomorrow at 6:00 p.m. in Skibo Gymnasium against Grove City College (1-2).