Two Record Double-Doubles in 68-55 Home Win

(PITTSBURGH, Pa.) - The Carnegie Mellon University women's basketball team played its second home game of the season when La Roche University visited Wiegand Gymnasium for a Monday afternoon rescheduled game. The Tartans topped the visiting Redhawks, 68-55, with four players scoring in double figures. The Tartans are now 2-0 at home and 6-3 for the year while the Redhawks drop to 5-3.

Senior Caitlyn Clendenin (Bethesda, Md. / Bethesda Chevy Chase) and freshman Catherine Or (Los Angeles, Calif. / Marlborough School) each tallied a double-double with Clendenin leading the team with 16 points and Or leading all players with 13 rebounds. 

Clendenin helped the Tartans to a 27-20 halftime lead after scoring 10 points in the first half shooting 4-of-5 from the floor. The Tartans had five blocks in the first half which contributed to the 8-for-37 shooting performance by the Redhawks in the first 20 minutes of play. The Tartans turned the ball over 15 times in the first half but La Roche wasn't able to capitalize.

The Tartans stuck to taking shots in the paint scoring 42 points inside for the game with 19 second-chance points off 17 offensive rebounds. The Tartans have taken less than 15 shots from long range in the past three games with today being no different as they only put up 13 from behind the arc (making three).

La Roche, who was led by Danajah Sanders with 23 points, cut the deficit to three on a triple by Sanders to start the fourth quarter. Freshman Anisha Chintala (Austin, Texas / Westwood) answered with a three-pointer and after junior Divya Seenivasan (Bridgewater, N.J. / Rutgers Preparatory School) hit a turnaround jumper in the paint, the Tartans were back up 52-44.

Twice the Redhawks cut it to four points but the Tartans closed the last six minutes on a 14-5 run to go on to the double-digit victory.

Or helped close the game with six points in the final period to tally 13 for the game. Clendenin grabbed five of her 12 boards in the third quarter while sophomore Megan Matsko (Baltimore, Md. / Mount de Sales Academy) pulled down nine boards off the bench. Chintala finished with 11 points for her third straight double-digit scoring game while senior Leah Weslock (Howell, Mich. / Howell) put in 10 points.

The Tartans will jump into conference play on Saturday, January 8 with a home game against Case Western Reserve University at 4:00 p.m.