Men’s Basketball Shoots Season-Best from Floor in 85-66 Win Over Saint Mary’s (Minn.)

(PITTSBURGH, Pa.) - The Carnegie Mellon University men's basketball team shot a season-best 52.3% from the floor in an 85-66 win over the visiting Cardinals of Saint Mary's University of Minnesota on Wednesday, December 28 on the hardwood of Skibo Gymnasium. The Tartans improve to 5-4 while the Cardinals even their record at 4-4.

Carnegie Mellon held Saint Mary's to 31.0% from the floor while the Tartans improve to 49-11 when shooting better than 50% from the floor since the 2002-03 season. The Tartans dominate the inside, as they held a 54-16 advantage on points in the paint and outrebounded the Cardinals, 50-38.

Senior Jack Serbin (New Albany, Ohio) led a trio of Tartans in double figures with 18 points. Junior Ryan Maha (West Mifflin, Pa.) poured in a season-high 16 points, including connecting on 4-of-7 from long range, while senior Chris Shkil (Mentor, Ohio/Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin) added 15 points in the win.

The Tartans also recorded a season-best 10 blocks with Shkil leading the way with four and Serbin with three. Freshman Zach Howarth (Freehold, N.J./St. John Vianney) handed out a season-high four assists for the Tartans.

Saint Mary's was led by junior James Cullen who recorded a career-best 22 points and shot 6-of-10 from behind the arc.

Carnegie Mellon raced out to a 20-5 advantage over the first 10 minutes of action, as five different Tartans scored with Serbin leading the way with seven during the run. The Tartans held Saint Mary's to just two field goals (2-of-14) during the opening stretch before Cullen knocked down three straight triples to pull Saint Mary's within eight, 22-14, with 8:30 remaining. The Tartans responded with an 11-3 run over the next three-and-a-half minutes to push the lead back to double digits before holding a 44-30 lead at the break.

The Tartans momentum continued into the second half, as Maha helped Carnegie Mellon grab its largest lead of the contest at 73-46. The junior connected on three from behind the arc in a span of two minutes and then his layup with 11:16 to play gave the home team the 27-point lead. Saint Mary's cut the gap to 17 on two occasions, but that was as close as the Cardinals would get.

Carnegie Mellon will be back on the hardwood Friday, December 30 with a 5:00 p.m. tip at Franklin & Marshall.