Twenty-Five Point First Half Run Keys Tartans Victory

(PITTSBURGH, Pa.) - The Carnegie Mellon University women's basketball team defeated Penn State Altoona 109-64 on Saturday, January 4, recording the most points scored in program history. Five players scored in double figures for the Tartans who are now 8-2 on the year as the Lions dropped to 1-8.

Altoona's Devin Stessney hit five three-pointers in the first 11 minutes of play giving the Lions a 30-25 lead with 9:29 to go in the half. That was the last lead of the game for the visitors as the Tartans went on a 25-0 run to lead 50-30 with 4:32 to go.

During the pivotal 25-point run, freshman Lisa Murphy (McLean, Va./McLean) scored 10 of her team-high 18 points and junior Gabrielle West (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mount Notre Dame) scored on a put-back layup and a three-point attempt on back-to-back possessions, giving the Tartans their first lead at 32-30 since the opening bucket by senior Jacquie Shaw (Portland, Ore./Grant).

The Tartans would then close the half with a 10-0 run after Altoona scored eight straight to lead 60-38 at the break. Sophomore Lindsay Poss (Poolesville, Md./Poolesville) and junior Chandler Caufield (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) hit back-to-back treys for the Tartans while assisting on each other's shot during the period-ending run.

Altoona had trouble finding its shot in the second half, converting just five-of-31, while the Tartans shot 20-of-45 to double its halftime lead.

The Tartans also pressured the Lions into 13 second half turnovers and tallied 31 points off 22 Lion turnovers for the game.

Murphy finished with her third double-double of the season with 18 points and 10 rebounds. She also collected a career-high three blocked shots. Shaw tied her season-high with 15 points while grabbing eight rebounds, dishing out five assists and blocking three shots.

Poss and West each scored 14 points as Poss hit a career-high four three-pointers and collected a career-high five assists. West led the Tartans with four steals and also had four assists. Freshman Mathea Tenwalde (Pataskala, Ohio/Watkins Memorial) scored a season-high 11 points while sophomore Liza Otto (Glastonbury, Conn./Glastonbury) pulled down 11 boards.

The 109 points scored marks the third time this season the Tartans have scored at least 100 points. The three triple-digit games are also the only ones in school history.

The Tartans will next face Baldwin Wallace University (9-2) on Tuesday, January 7 at 3:00 p.m. in Skibo Gym as a make-up game from their postponed November-scheduled tilt.