Tartans Nearly Upset #18 Chicago, Fall in OT

(CHICAGO, Ill.) – The Carnegie Mellon University women's basketball team nearly pulled off a road upset at 18th-ranked University of Chicago on Friday before the Maroons rallied from a 17-point deficit to win in overtime, 84-78. The Tartans are now 11-12 overall and 2-10 in the University Athletic Association (UAA) while the Maroons improve to 19-4 and 8-4.

How it Happened

• The Tartans shot 62.5 % in the first quarter on their way to a 24-17 lead.
• The Tartans hit both of their attempts from long range in the first period and scored eight points off four Maroon turnovers.
• Sophomore Catherine Or led the Tartans with seven points on 3-of-3 shooting in the first period while freshman Savannah Gibbs chipped in six points.
• Or, who scored seven of the Tartans first nine points of the second period, put the Tartans up 12 with a pull-up jumper at the foul lane with 6:46 to go.
• Less than two minutes later, the Tartans took a 14-point lead, 36-22, when sophomore Anisha Chintala drained a three-pointer from the right wing, the team's fourth in five attempts.
• Junior Megan Matsko put the Tartans up 17 after scoring six straight points.
• The Maroons cut it to nine points with 14 seconds to go after five free throws and a triple from the corner.
• Or scored a floater in the lane to finish the first-half scoring with the Tartans ahead 44-33.
• The Tartans shot 54.5% in the half while the Maroons hit 25.7% of their field goals.
• UChicago won the third quarter by a 15-11 score and tied the game twice before the Tartans closed the final two minutes on a 7-0 run to lead 55-48.
• Sophomore Isha Nambisan put the Tartans up 13 in the fourth quarter finishing a 6-0 run to start the frame with a layup following her own defensive rebound.
• With three minutes to play, Gibbs made a shot in the paint for a 10-point Tartan lead but the Maroons clawed back to tie it with eight seconds to go.
• Or converted a driving layup with three seconds but the Maroons answered with a layup with 1.8 seconds to go.
• UChicago held a four-point lead in overtime before Matsko hit a three-pointer to give the Tartans a 74-73 lead with 2:30 on the clock.
• With 20 seconds to play and UChicago up two, the home team grabbed an offensive rebound following a miss from the line forcing the Tartans to foul again. UChicago hit the two free throws and later two more to complete the comeback victory.

For the Tartans

• Or finished with her sixth straight double-double and 13th of the season with 27 points and 18 rebounds.
• Or's 27 points tie her season-high.
• Matsko hit two three-pointers and recorded a career-best 19 points.
• Matsko also had two blocks which marks her fourth straight game with two or more blocks.
• Gibbs finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds for her third double-double of the year.
• Freshman Piper Ligotti scored in double figures for the third time this season, scoring 10 points in her first start.

For the Maroons

• Grace Hynes led the team with 28 points while Ellie Gross scored 15.
• Mallory Brodnik contributed 13 points and Sophia North scored 11.

Up Next

The Tartans will meet 22nd-ranked Washington University in St. Louis on Sunday, February 19 at 2:00 p.m. CT