Strong Start Leads to 77-57 Road Victory for Tartans

(WASHINGTON, Pa.) - A strong first quarter by the Carnegie Mellon University women's basketball team created a 17-point advantage that Washington & Jefferson College couldn't recover from, as the Tartans went on to a 77-57 victory on the road against the Presidents on Tuesday, November 13. The win marks eighth-year head coach Jacquie Hullah's 100th at Carnegie Mellon, as the Tartans improve to 2-0.

Three players scored in double figures for the Tartans with junior Katie Higgins (Montclair, N.J. / Montclair) leading the way with 17 points. Junior Makayla Filiere (Chandler, Ariz. / Hamilton) scored 16 and junior Laurel Pereira (Naperville, Ill. / Naperville North) put in 14 points after the team shot 49.2 percent for the game. Freshman Leah Weslock (Howell, Mich. / Howell) led on the glass with nine rebounds, as senior Jenn Mayberger (Chesterfield, Mo. / Cor Jesu Academy) dished out five assists.

The Tartans shot 58.8 percent from the floor in the first quarter with three shots from behind the arc to build a 27-10 lead. They converted six turnovers by the Presidents into nine points while only committing one which came late in the period.

The effort from the floor cooled off for the Tartans with W&J outscoring them 22-16 in the second period but the lead was still double digits for the Tartans at the break.

The Presidents pulled to within seven points going into the fourth quarter but the Tartans grabbed 10 defensive rebounds and shot 57.1% from the floor in the final stanza to go on to the 22-point win.

The Tartans will next travel to the College of Wooster on Saturday, November 17 for the Wooster Classic. Carnegie Mellon will open against Franklin College at 1:00 p.m.