Late Game Heroics Down Tartans

(PITTSBURGH, Pa.) - The Carnegie Mellon University men's basketball team opened its home University Athletic Association (UAA) slate on Friday, January 24 on the hardwood of Skibo Gymnasium. The Maroons of the University of Chicago downed the Tartans, 65-64, with a jumper by Royce Muskeyvalley with 1.4 seconds remaining. Carnegie Mellon is now 9-6, 2-2 while Chicago improves to 10-5, 3-1

Chicago jumped out to a 14-3 at the 13:22 mark, as the Tartans started the game shooting 1-of-10 from the floor.  The Maroons lead grew to as many as 16 at 29-13 with seven minutes remaining in the half.  From there the Tartans used an 11-2 run over the next four-and-a-half minutes to cut the deficit to 31-24.

The remainder of the half was evenly played as the teams went into the locker room with Chicago holding a 37-31 edge.  Tartan senior Rashaun Riley (Houston, Texas/Cypress Creek) led all scorers at the break with 10 points

Carnegie Mellon used a 9-2 run early in the second half to pull within three at 47-44 with 13:25 left in the contest.   The Maroons answered pushing the lead back to seven (53-46) over the next two minutes, but then the Tartans scored eight straight points.  The run gave the home team its first lead of the contest at 54-53 on a turnaround jumper by senior Christian Manoli (San Rafael, Calif./Terra Linda) with 7:22 showing on the clock.

After the team exchanged buckets, the Tartans scored six straight points to grab their largest lead of the game at 60-55 with 4:08 to play.  Carnegie Mellon held the lead the rest of the contest until the closing seconds, when Muskeyvalley drained a 17-foot pull-up jumper with 1.4 ticks on the clock to give the Maroons a 65-64 lead. The Tartans had one last chance, but Riley's 18-foot shot went off the back iron as time expired.

Carnegie Mellon shot 39.7% from the floor to Chicago's 41.7% while Tartans held the edge on the glass 40-37. Manoli led all scorers with 23 points as Riley finished with 12 points and senior Rob Mohen (Stamford, Conn./Regis (NY)) had 11.  Freshman Jack Serbin (New Albany, Ohio) led the Tartans on the boards with nine rebounds.

Chicago's Derrick Davis led the Maroons with 15 points while Muskeyvalley and Jordan Smith each had 12.

Carnegie Mellon will continue UAA play on Sunday, January 28.  The eighth-ranked Bears of Washington University will travel to Pittsburgh for a 12:00 p.m. tip.