Tartans Close Year with First Postseason Game in 13 Years

(HUNTINGDON, Pa.) – The Carnegie Mellon University women's basketball team closed the 2012-13 campaign on the road at Juniata College in the first round of the ECAC South Championship, marking the first postseason appearance for the program since 1999-2000. The Tartans (13-13) fell 94-80 to the Eagles (19-8) who are in their fifth straight postseason.

Juniata (19-8) opened with a 14-0 run over the first three minutes and took its largest lead of the half on a three-pointer by Jordan Hileman with 12:08 to play, to lead 29-9. Hileman's three-pointer was her second of the half and seventh by the Eagles, who made 8-of-20 for the period.

The Eagles continued to lead by double-digits until a run by the Tartans cut the deficit to seven with four minutes to go in the half. The Tartans pressed the Eagles into four turnovers and five missed shots during a three-and-a-half minute span as freshman guard Lindsay Poss (Poolesville, Md./Poolesville) started a 14-1 run with a three-pointer after a timeout and ended it with back-to-back baskets to pull the Tartans within 39-32.

Juniata regained its composure and scored 13 points to the Tartans' six to close the period with a 52-38 lead.

Senior Emily Peel (Long Valley, N.J./West Morris Central) led the Tartans at the break with 15 points while Poss tallied 11. Juniata was led by Jordan Speck's 19 points on 5-of-9 shooting from behind the arc and Kate McDonald's 11 points. Speck entered the game averaging 10.3 points and 2.4 three-pointers made a game.

Speck hit the final three-pointer of the game for the Eagles two minutes into the second half to put the home team up 57-42, but the Eagles didn't stop scoring as they shot 48% for the second period and led by double digits the remainder of the game. Speck finished with 29 points as McDonald put in 23 points and grabbed 14 boards.

Peel put in another five baskets in the second half and led the Tartans with a season-high 27 points. Poss finished with a career-high 20 points, making eight shots from the field. The freshman also tied a career-high with two blocks and grabbed eight rebounds for the night.

The Eagles only made one more basket than the Tartans but four more came from behind the arc. The Eagles also used points off turnovers to create a point cushion, finishing with 41 points off 28 Tartan miscues.

Peel ends her career as the fourth leading scorer in school history with 1,203 points and seventh leading rebounder with 721.