PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Freshman Tim Brackney hit a three-pointer with 27 seconds left to put the University of Rochester ahead for good as the third-ranked Yellow Jackets (24-1, 13-1) won the University Athletic Association championship with a 73-71 victory over the Carnegie Mellon University men’s basketball team (14-11, 6-8) Saturday afternoon.
Rochester also earns the conference’s automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament. The Tartans, who earned their first winning season since 1995-96, will find out Monday if they receive a bid to the ECAC Tournament.
The game was close throughout, with neither team taking larger than a six-point lead all day. The Tartans came out running early, as sophomore forward Clayton Barlow-Wilcox scored six points to push the Tartans to a 12-6 lead five minutes into the game. Rochester answered with a 10-2 run that was capped by a triple from Brackney to put the visitors ahead 16-14.
Carnegie Mellon answered with seven consecutive points to go back up by five before the Yellow Jackets took the momentum heading into halftime. Rochester outscored the Tartans 18-9 in the final 8:14 to carry a 33-30 advantage into the locker room. Rochester committed 11 turnovers in the opening period but balanced that by shooting 46 percent (13-28). The Tartans were led by Barlow-Wilcox with 10 markers at the intermission.
The second half was a wild affair that had 10 ties and 17 lead changes. A lay-up by Rochester’s Andy Larkin with four minutes to play tied the score at 65. Following a free throw by Tartan junior Jason Walters, the Yellow Jackets took a two-point lead on a trey from Brenden McAllister with 3:23 left. Carnegie Mellon seemed to be in position to pull the upset after guard Eliot Goren tied the game with a lay-up and guard Michael Divens knocked down two free throws with 43 seconds to play for a 70-68 Tartan lead.
But on the ensuing possession, Brackney, who only played in seven games all year and scored just 19 points, buried the three from deep on the left wing to push the visitors into the lead. Carnegie Mellon turned the ball over on its next two possessions and Rochester hit two of four free throws to stave off the Tartans and win their first UAA crown in 12 years.
For the game, Rochester committed 18 turnovers, compared to just 12 by Carnegie Mellon, but held a 42-30 advantage on the glass, which included 15 offensive caroms.
Three players reached double figures for Carnegie Mellon in the loss, led by Divens with 15 points and a team-high nine boards. Barlow-Wilcox recorded 13 points and eight rebounds, while Goren had 10 points and eight assists.
Playing in his final regular season game, senior forward Matt Kaitz scored eight points to finish with 1,193 for his career, seventh all-time in school history.
Two players registered double-doubles to lead the Yellow Jackets, including forwards Seth Hauben (20 points, 13 rebounds) and Andy Larkin (11 points, 11 rebounds). Center Brian Jones tossed in 12, Brackney chalked up 11 markers and guard Ryan Mee fired in 10 in the winning effort.
In the women’s game, 13th-ranked Rochester (21-4, 10-4) came away with a 65-39 victory over the Carnegie Mellon women’s team, who ended their season with a 3-22 record and a 0-14 mark in the UAA.
Playing in their final games, seniors Elizabeth Painter, Danyelle Sinclair and Marcia Velencia had solid showings. Sinclair posted a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds, while Painter just missed with seven markers and 10 boards and Velencia tallied 10 as the Lady Tartans lost for the 17th consecutive game.