Tartans Fall at Home to #8 Washington 80-68

(PITTSBURGH, Pa.) – The Carnegie Mellon University women's basketball team fell at home to #8 Washington University in University Athletic Association (UAA) action on Sunday, January 15 by an 80-68 score. The Tartans are now 6-8 overall and 0-3 in the UAA while the Bears improve to 12-2 and 2-1.

The Tartans held tight with the No. 8 team in the country throughout the first half as there were 10 lead changes and seven ties before the Bears took the lead for good with 8:10 to go in the half. Carnegie Mellon held its largest lead of the game at 24-19 after freshman Chandler Caufield (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) hit a three-pointer and senior Jennifer Larsen (Exeter, N.H./Exeter) scored on a jumper at the 9:31 mark.

Bear freshman Melissa Gilkey rattled off nine straight points after sophomore Jacquie Shaw (Portland, Ore./Grant) tied the game for the final time of the half at 26-26 with 8:24 to play in the first. Gilkey scored six of her nine points during a 16-4 run off offensive rebounds. The Tartans did cut the deficit, which was as many as 12 points, to five points with a free throw by Shaw and a three-pointer by freshman Gabrielle West (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mount Notre Dame).

The Tartans ended the period with an 8-2 run with three points each coming from Shaw and Caufield to trail 44-38 at the break.

Carnegie Mellon then came out of the locker room scoring five straight when Larsen hit a jumper and a three-pointer to bring the home team within one at 44-43. Junior Emily Peel (Long Valley, N.J./West Morris Central) later tied the game at 48-48 with a layup and a free throw with 16:35 remaining.

The Bears then went on a 15-0 run over a five-minute span to essentially pull away even with 11:16 to go. Forward Brianne Monahan had five points during the run.

The Tartans cut the deficit to 10 with two minutes to play on a three-point play by Shaw but were unable to climb all the way back.

Peel led the Tartans with 18 points and was kept off the boards in the second half, grabbing just one of her final eight during the last period. Shaw tallied 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting and grabbed seven boards while Larsen finished with 13 points. Peel also led the team in assists with five.

The Bears were led by Gilkey's 21 points and eight rebounds as leading scorer Dani Hoover tallied 16 points and five assists in the win. Jordan Rettig and Monahan contributed double digits off the bench with 12 and 10 points, respectively.

The Tartans will travel to Emory University on Friday, January 20 for their next game and finish the weekend against the University of Rochester on Sunday, January 22.