PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Trailing 61-55 with 1:42 remaining, the Carnegie Mellon University men’s basketball team used a 9-0 run to close out the game and record a 64-61 victory over the University of Chicago Friday night.
The win not only improves the Tartans to 11-6 overall and 3-3 in the UAA but also moves them to 8-0 at home this year. The Maroons fall to 7-10 overall and 3-3 in the league.
Carnegie Mellon opened the game strong, as junior Michel Divens tallied six in a 10-0 opening run. The Tartans held a 31-21 margin with 3:40 remaining before halftime before the visitors went on a 12-0 spurt. A bucket by Maroon guard Justin Waldie with five seconds before intermission gave Chicago a 33-31 advantage heading into the locker room.
The visitors continued to hold the momentum to start the second half, as a 9-2 run pushed them ahead 46-40. Chicago continued to hold the Tartans at bay and with a Scott Fisher basket with 1:42 to play, took what looked like a solid 61-55 lead.
But Carnegie Mellon struck back quickly. A three-pointer by junior guard Jason Walters with 1:15 remaining cut the deficit to 61-58. After a Chicago turnover, Divens knocked down a pair of free throws with 59 ticks remaining. After a missed Maroon shot, Divens penetrated and dished to sophomore forward Clayton Barlow-Wilcox for a lay-up and a 62-61 Tartan advantage. Walters then sealed the win with a defensive rebound, two free throws and then stealing a pass with one second to play to give the Tartans the come-from-behind triumph.
The key to the game was a season-low eight turnovers by Carnegie Mellon, while Chicago committed 20 miscues. That helped balance out the Maroons 38-33 advantage on the boards and 45 percent shooting (23-51), as compared to the Tartans’ 40 percent (25-63).
Both teams had a trio of players reach double figures in the scorebook. Divens led the Tartans with 15 points, while senior forward Matt Kaitz tallied 13 and junior guard Eliot Goren finished with 10. Divens and Kaitz also grabbed a team-best seven boards each.
Chicago’s scoring was paced by guard Brian Cuttica with 16, while Fisher added 14 and Waldie poured in 13.