Seniors Celebrated as Tartans Record 19th Win After 83-49 Victory Against Case Western Reserve

(PITTSBURGH, Pa.) - The Carnegie Mellon University women's basketball team closed the regular season with an 83-49 victory at home against Case Western Reserve University on Saturday, February 27. The victory gives the Tartans the third most wins in school history at 19, as they close with a 19-6 record and 8-6 University Athletic Association (UAA) showing.

The Tartans got the ball inside all game long, scoring 36 points inside the paint, including 16 in the second quarter. Junior Lisa Murphy (McLean, Va./McLean) scored a game-high 36 points, hitting 13-of-17 attempts and 9-of-9 in the first half, giving the Tartans a 44-26 lead at the break.

Senior Liza Otto (Glastonbury, Conn./Glastonbury) gave the Tartans an 8-7 lead just under four minutes into the game and the home squad didn't trail again, pushing the lead to as many as 12 in the first period.

The Tartans shot 53.3% from the floor and held the Spartans to a 27.1% effort. Carnegie Mellon also won the rebounding battle, 53-30, and grabbed 13 offensive boards that led to 19 second-chance points.

Murphy's 36 points and 12 rebounds gave her 13 double-doubles for the season and goes down as her seventh game with 31 or more points. Otto closed the game with 17 points, eight rebounds and five assists, while senior Lindsay Poss (Poolesville, Md./Poolesville) dropped in 16 points, making three from behind the arc.

The Spartans were led by Kara Hageman's 17 points while Hillary Hellmann scored 12.

The Tartans have put themselves in position for post-season play for the first time since 2012-13 when they played in the Eastern College Athletic Confernce (ECAC) first round. The NCAA Tournament selection show will air at 2:30 p.m. ET on Monday, February 29 on NCAA.com. Should the Tartans get a bid, it will be the third appearance in program history.