Tartans Upended by Chicago at Home

(PITTSBURGH, Pa.) - The Carnegie Mellon University women's basketball team suffered a defeat at the hands of the University of Chicago on Friday night, 88-69, in its University Athletic Association (UAA) home opener. The Tartans are now 10-5 on the year and 1-3 in the UAA as Chicago improves to 8-7 and 2-2.

Freshman Lisa Murphy (McLean, Va./McLean) tallied 15 of her game-high 22 points in the first half as the Tartans shot 30.3% from the field and trailed 47-29 at the break.

The Tartans largest lead of the game was 5-2 in the opening two minutes before Chicago's Claire Devaney scored three layups and Morgan Donovan drained a three-pointer to lead 11-7 five minutes in.

After junior Gabrielle West (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mount Notre Dame) nailed her first of five treys for the game to bring the home squad to within one point, but the Maroons went on a 14-5 run to take their first double-digit lead at 25-15 with half the period to play.

The Maroons expanded on their 10-point advantage to lead by 18 at the break by scoring 6-of-17 from the field and 8-of-10 from the free throw line. They also hit five three-pointers to the Tartans 1-for-12 performance from behind the arc.

The Tartans improved their shooting performance in the second half to 41.2% and hit seven three-pointers, led by West's five from distance and 12 points total. But, the Maroons never surrendered and made their time at the free throw line count, hitting 13-of-14.

Murphy finished the game with 14 rebounds for her third straight double-double for the Tartans and blocked four shots. West tallied 21 points for the game and senior Jacquie Shaw (Portland, Ore./Grant) tied a career-high with seven assists.

The Maroons were led by senior Maggie Ely's 19 points with freshman Britta Nordstrom scoring 15.

Carnegie Mellon will be back on the court Sunday, January 26 when they host #2 Washington University at 2:00 p.m.