Tartans End Skid with 74-56 Victory Against Brandeis; Murphy Sets Career UAA Scoring Record

(PITTSBURGH, Pa.) - The Carnegie Mellon University women's basketball team hosted Brandeis University in University Athletic Association (UAA) action on Friday, February 10 and ended a four-game skid with a 74-56 win to move to 16-5 on the year and 5-5 in the UAA. The Judges fell to 11-10 and 3-7. By scoring 22 points, senior Lisa Murphy (McLean, Va./McLean) became the UAA's all-time leading scorer, passing Marsha Harris (1994-1998) of NYU. Murphy now has 2,142 career points.

Fifteen of Murphy's points came in the second half as the 6-1 center also added 15 rebounds, seven blocks and four assists for the game. Freshmen Laurel Pereira (Naperville, Ill./Naperville North) and Makayla Filiere (Chandler, Ariz./Hamilton) each scored 13 points with classmate Katharine Higgins (Montclair, N.J./Montclair) dropping in 12. Filiere also dished out six assists.

The Tartans hit their first five shots of the game to take a 12-2 lead behind two three-pointers by Higgins and Filiere. The Judges answered with a 14-7 scamper to pull the game to 17-16 with 3:03 to play in the quarter. The Tartans led 26-20 at the end of the period after Higgins hit her second trey of the quarter and Frankie Pinto converted a put-back layup for Brandeis as time expired.

The Tartans cooled down in the second quarter making just 6-of-13 attempts but pushed the lead to 11 after another pair of baskets by Filiere and Higgins with 2:17 to go. Murphy then made a layup just before the halftime buzzer to give the Tartans their largest lead of the game.

Higgins led the Tartans, who shot 55.2% for the half, with 12 points as Filiere had 10. Maria Jackson scored 12 for Judges, who had 14 offensive rebounds in the first half.

Murphy was the story of the third quarter for the Tartans as she scored eight of the team's 19 quarter points. The zone defense by the Tartans forced the Judges into six three-point attempts and a shooting effort of 5-of-24 in the period, pushing the lead to 62-42 heading into the final stanza.

The team's traded points in the fourth period as the Tartans went on for the 18-point win.

The Tartans shot 50.0% on their home court and hit 9-of-23 from behind the arc. The Judges finished with a shooting effort of 30.3% including a 2-of-19 showing from long range. Jackson finished with 19 points to lead the Judges.

The next game for the Tartans will be Sunday, February 12 when they host New York University (12-9, 2-8) for senior day at 2:00 p.m. in Skibo Gymnasium.