Filiere's Career Night Leads Tartans to 77-65 Win Against Saint Vincent

(PITTSBURGH, Pa.) - Sophomore Makayla Filiere's (Chandler, Ariz./Hamilton) hot shooting night led the Carnegie Mellon University women's basketball team to a 77-65 home win against Saint Vincent College on Thursday, December 7. Filiere's career-high 30 points helped move the Tartans to 6-2 on the year while the Bearcats fell to 4-4.

Filiere opened the game with a jumper at the top of the key and the Tartans never looked back as they built a 17-13 first-quarter lead and led by as many as 16 in the first half. The sophomore guard hit 6-of-9 from the field and 3-of-4 from long range in the first half to lead the Tartans with 15 points. She finished with the previously mentioned 30 points on 12-of-18 shooting and a career-best 6-of-7 effort from behind the arc. Filiere's night didn't finish without her leading the team in rebounds with eight, which matched a career-high.

The Tartans built their double-digit lead in the first half with a 12-0 run to start the second period. Sophomore Katharine Higgins (Montclair, N.J./Montclair), who finished with 17 points, opened the period with a layup after an offensive rebound by junior Jenn Mayberger (Chesterfield, Mo./Cor Jesu Academy). Filiere then connected on back-to-back buckets, Higgins made two free throws, and sophomore Laurel Pereira (Naperville, Ill./Naperville North) drained a three-pointer following a pass from Mayberger to put the home squad up 29-13 with 7:43 to go in the half.

Saint Vincent chipped away at the 16-point deficit and pulled to within six on a jumper in the paint by Erin Giancola with 2:57 showing on the second-quarter clock. The teams traded hoops with a jumper by the Bearcats' Mara Benvenuti keeping the Tartan lead in single digits at the break, 38-30.

The Bearcats hit the first two buckets of the second half to pull within four points but a three-pointer by Filiere started an 16-3 blitz that put the Tartans up 54-37 with 3:36 to go in the third quarter. Filiere scored 10 points and assisted on freshman Elle Schaefer's (Burr Ridge, Ill./Hinsdale Central) three-pointer during the run.

Filiere hit her final trey of the night one minute and 13 seconds into the fourth quarter and a layup by Higgins on the next possession gave the Tartans their largest lead of the night at 21 points. The Bearcats hit four three-pointers in the fourth period and outscored the Tartans 25-21 over that 10-minute span but never brought it back to single digits as the Tartans went on for their sixth win of the season and sixth win of 12 or more points.

The Tartans and Filiere were one off the game records for three-pointers made with 11 going in for the team. The Tartans finished the night shooting 49.1% from the floor for their third game at or over 45.0% for the year, all resulting in wins. Pereira joined Filiere and Higgins in double figures with 10 points while Mayberger dished out four assists and grabbed six boards.

The Bearcats were led by Benvenuti's double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds. Maria Morgan followed with 12 points while the Tartans held Kayla Slovenec, the team's leading scorer, to four points.

After a break for final exams, the Tartans will host Waynesburg University on Tuesday, December 19 at 2:00 p.m.