Hot Shooting Leads #12 Tartans to 9-0 Start

(COLUMBUS, Ohio) - The 12th-ranked Carnegie Mellon University women's basketball team returned from a 10-day hiatus to defeat Capital University on the road, 76-54, on Monday, December 19. The Tartans, now 9-0, were led by senior center Lisa Murphy's (McLean, Va./McLean) fifth double-double of the season.

Murphy made her first 10 shots from the field before finishing with 13 made field goals to 14 attempts. The senior also made all eight of her attempts from the free throw line to tally a season-high 34 points. Murphy owned the stat sheet in rebounds with 14 for the game. Senior Jackie Hudepohl (Saratoga, Calif./Lynbrook (Colgate)) contributed 16 points, eight rebounds, and a season-high five assists to the win.

The Tartans shot 58.8% in the first quarter while holding the Crusaders to 20.0% to jump out to a 23-9 lead. Murphy made four of her shots during the period.

The second period was even better for the Tartans who made 9-of-13 attempts from the floor to extend their lead to 45-27. Twenty-four points came in the paint for the Tartans in the first half with 16 coming off the hands of Murphy.

The Crusaders found their shooting touch in the second half but the lead was too much to overcome, as the Tartans took their largest lead of the game at 26 points with 3:25 left to play in the game when freshman Megan Jaeb (San Jose, Calif./Presentation) connected on a free throw.

Despite a cooler performance from the field in the third period (36.4%), the Tartans finished the game with their second-highest shooting percentage of the season at 57.1% thanks in part to a 5-of-8 showing in the final quarter.

Capital shot its lowest percentage from behind the arc, making just 1-of-9 attempts, and it's second lowest percentage from the field for the season at 34.3%. The Crusaders were led by Regan Stonerock's 14 points.

Carnegie Mellon returns to action on Thursday, December 22 at home against Muskingum University (4-3) at 2:00 p.m.