Tartans Drop Contest at #9 Lycoming

(WILLIAMSPORT, Pa.) - The Carnegie Mellon University men's basketball team played the ninth-ranked Warriors of Lycoming College in the championship game of the Louis Fleming Basinger Memorial Tournament hosted by Lycoming and dropped an 88-71 contest Saturday afternoon in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. The Tartans are now 4-6 while the Warriors remain perfect at 13-0.

The Tartans, who shot 40.0% from the floor, were led by senior Ryan Maha (West Mifflin, Pa.) with 19 points, tying a season-best. Maha converted 5-of-11 from behind the arc marking a season-best for three-point field goals made. Junior Seth Henry (Fulton, Md./Reservoir), who was named to the all-tournament team, ended the game with 14 points and 10 rebounds to record his second straight double-double and third of the season. Sophomore Zach Howarth (Freehold, N.J./St. John Vianney) chipped in with 11 points. Sophomore Trent Suddeth (Winter Park, Fla./Trinity Prep) grabbed 10 rebounds while freshman Zach Watson (Dublin, Ohio/Jerome) handed out a career-best five assists in the setback.

Lycoming was led by the Most Valuable Player of the tournament, Chris Wallace, who finished with a game-high 22 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Alex Newbold and Ronald Jefferson finished with 13 and 10 points, respectively.

Carnegie Mellon missed its first six shots of the contest, as Lycoming took advantage and grabbed an 8-0 lead four minutes into play. The home team pushed its lead to 20-5 with 13:52 to play in the half before the Tartans rattled off eight straight and cut the lead to 20-13 at the 11:43 mark.

With six minutes to play in the first stanza, a layup by Suddeth pulled the Tartans to within six points at 31-15. The Warriors responded and scored 21 of the last 30 points of the half to head into the break with a 52-34 lead.

Lycoming scored the first eight points of the second half and took a 60-34 lead with three minutes off the clock. Over the next four-and-a-half minutes, Carnegie Mellon converted 6-of-9 field goals and used a 15-4 run to cut the Warriors lead to 64-49 following a trey by Howarth at the 12:33 mark.

The Warriors once again answered and used a 16-4 run to match their largest lead of the game at 80-53 with 8:11 to play. Carnegie Mellon closed the contest scoring 18 of the last 26 points, but it wasn't enough, as the Warriors claimed the Louis Fleming Basinger Memorial title with an 88-71 victory.

Carnegie Mellon will be back on the hardwood January 2nd with a 2:00 p.m. contest at The College at Brockport.