Tartans Fall to WashU 77-64

(PITTSBURGH, Pa.) – The Carnegie Mellon University women's basketball team hosted Washington University in St. Louis Friday evening, falling to the Bears 77-64 to move to 3-3 in the University Athletic Association (UAA) and 9-6 overall. The Bears are now 4-2 in the UAA and 10-7 overall.

Freshman Catherine Or (Los Angeles, Calif. / Marlborough School) led the Tartans for the sixth time this season by tallying 18 points. The first-year guard hit 6-of-9 field goal attempts and all four free throw attempts with a career-best two three-pointers. Freshman Anika Prasad (Saratoga, Calif. / Saratoga) scored tied a season-best in points with nine off the bench for the Tartans. Both Or and senior Caitlyn Clendenin (Bethesda, Md. / Bethesda Chevy Chase) had six assists with Clendenin leading on the boards with nine.

The Bears were led by four players in double figures with forward Maya Arnott topping the team with 19 points. Arnott also grabbed 11 rebounds.

WashU opened the scoring two minutes into the game with a pair of free throws and went on to lead by as many as six for the first period before it ended with Or making a driving layup to pull the Tartans within three at 21-18.

Freshman Anisha Chintala (Austin, Texas / Westwood) scored the first points of the second quarter with Prasad hitting a three-pointer to give the Tartans their first lead 23-21 with 7:12 to play in the half.

The Bears then scored the next 10 points over the course of four minutes and pushed their lead to 12 points on a three-pointer by Matoush with 1:38 showing on the clock. The half ended with a three-pointer by Prasad and the Bears leading 39-31.

The visitor's started the third frame on a 9-0 run and took their largest lead of the game at 48-31 with 8:14 showing on the clock. The Tartans responded with an 11-3 run to cut the deficit back to single digits, but WashU was quick to answer scoring the five straight and then led 64-48 at the close

Carnegie Mellon outscored WashU in the fourth quarter 16-13, but the Bears never lost their double figure advantage and went on for the 77-64 win.

The Tartans will next host the University of Chicago on Sunday, January 30 at 2:00 p.m.