Tartans Strong Fourth Quarter Not Enough in 51-48 Setback to W&J

(PITTSBURGH, Pa.) - The Carnegie Mellon University women's basketball team held Washington and Jefferson College to two points in the fourth quarter but its double-digit comeback fell short. The Presidents moved to 7-0 on the year with a 51-48 victory in Skibo Gymnasium. The Tartans are now 5-2 for the season.

The Tartans outscored the Presidents 15-2 in the fourth quarter with both of W&J's points coming from the free throw line with five seconds to play. Taley Dunaway made those free throws to give the Presidents a three-point lead and a block by Mia Woytovich on a three-point attempt by sophomore Katharine Higgins (Montclair, N.J./Montclair) with time running out sealed the road win for W&J.

Sophomore Makayla Filiere (Chandler, Ariz./Hamilton) hit the first 10 points of the fourth quarter for the Tartans, including two of her career-tying five three-pointers and finished with a career-high 25 points. Higgins scored the other five points and finished the game with 12 points and 10 rebounds for her second double-double of the season. Junior Jenn Mayberger (Chesterfield, Mo./Cor Jesu Academy) also pulled down 10 rebounds while she dished out five assists.

After a slow first quarter that ended with the Presidents ahead, 12-9, the Tartans used a quick 6-0 run two minutes into the second quarter to take their first lead of the game, 18-16. Filiere started the run with a three-pointer in the corner.

Washington and Jefferson answered with an 8-0 run to lead 24-18 after Lauren Gilbert's second three-pointer of the half. The run was extended to 25-6 to close the half with a 37-24 advantage.

An evenly played third quarter finished with the Presidents ahead by 16 points, 49-33, with their final bucket of the quarter coming off a three-pointer by Dunaway with 58 seconds to go.

The Presidents built their lead by making 7-of-9 from the three-point arc in the first three periods while the Tartans shot 22.4% from the field until the start of the fourth quarter. W&J won the rebounding battle, 48-43, while the Tartans picked up 17 steals, six in the fourth period.

The Tartans will return to action on Thursday, December 7 when Saint Vincent College visits Pittsburgh at 6:00 p.m.