Tartans Drop 78-49 Contest at Chicago

(PITTSBURGH, Pa.) - The Carnegie Mellon University men's basketball team traveled to the Windy City on Sunday afternoon and dropped a 78-49 contest to the Maroons of the University of Chicago in University Athletic Association (UAA) play. The Tartans are now 10-7 overall and 3-4 in UAA play while the Maroons move to 7-12, 2-6.

Carnegie Mellon shot 36.8% from the floor for the game while Chicago shot 46.0% and made 12-of-28 (42.9%) from behind the arc. Sophomore R.J. Holmes (Buffalo Grove, Ill./Adlai Stevenson) led the Tartans with 12 points and a career-high four blocks. Junior Nick Nakasian (Powell, Ohio/Olentangy Liberty) and sophomore Jack Stone (Newport Beach, Calif./Corona Del Mar) ended with seven apiece in the setback.

Chicago had four players score in double figures led by Bryce Hopkins' 22 points. Brandon Beckman and Elliot Paschal each had 11 while Zach Munson finished with 10 points.

At the 11-minute mark of the first half, Carnegie Mellon grabbed a 16-15 lead off a layup by Holmes. Over the next four minutes the Tartans went cold from the floor while the Maroons took advantage and put together a 17-0 run and led 32-16. The home team then went into the locker room leading 39-23.

The hot hand stayed with Chicago into the second half. The Maroons used an 11-0 run over a six-minute stretch and extended the lead to 50-26 with 12:28 to play. The lead got as many as 34 (78-44) before the Tartans scored the last five points of the contest, as Chicago went on for the 78-49 win.

Carnegie Mellon will next play at ninth-ranked Washington University in St. Louis on Monday, February 7 at 5:30 p.m. CT.