Murphy Scores 23 in No. 20 Tartans Loss at Emory

(ATLANTA, Ga.) - The Carnegie Mellon University women's basketball team, ranked 20th in the nation by D3hoops.com, fell in a road contest to Emory University, 63-52, on Friday, January 22. The Tartans are now 13-2 overall and 2-2 in the University Athletic Association (UAA), while the Eagles picked up their first UAA win and are 10-5, 1-3.

Jackie Hudepohl (Saratoga, Calif./Lynbrook (Colgate)) hit the first three shots for the Tartans and gave them an 8-5 lead at the 4:38 mark of the first quarter. The Eagles would retake the lead on the next possession and hold it until senior Liza Otto (Glastonbury, Conn./Glastonbury) hit a jumper 1:33 into the second period to tie the game at 14-14.

Layups by junior Lisa Murphy (McLean, Va./McLean) and sophomore Uzoma Nwankwo (Livonia, Mich./Stevenson) gave the Tartans an 18-14 lead three minutes into the quarter but the Eagles answered to tie the game once again before the Tartans held their last lead of the half, 20-18, with five minutes to play. The Eagles closed the half with a 9-2 run to lead 27-22 at the break.

Otto hit the Tartans first two shots of the third period to bring the deficit to one, 27-26, before Emory extended the lead to seven with a 6-0 run. By the end of the third quarter, the Tartans trailed by three, 42-39. Murphy was 4-for-4 in the quarter, scoring nine of the team's 17 points.

The Tartans pulled to within two on a driving layup by Otto with 4:14 to go but could never complete the comeback.

A three-pointer at the end of the shot clock by Michelle Bevan on the next possession put the Eagles back up by five. When the Tartans had a chance to tie the game at 54-all with two minutes to play, a missed trey by Hudepohl was followed by a three-pointer by Shellie Kaniut and the Eagles went on for the 63-52 win.

Murphy led the Tartans with 23 points and 15 rebounds while freshman Jenn Mayberger (Chesterfield, Mo./Cor Jesu Academy) collected six assists for the Tartans who shot 42.0% for the game. The Tartans held a 10-rebound advantage at the end of the first half and finished the game winning the battle on the boards, 38-37.

The Eagles were led by Bevan's 21 points while Kaniut scored 14 off the bench.

The Tartans will continue their road trip with a contest at seventh-ranked University of Rochester on Sunday, January 24. Tip is set for 2:00 p.m.