Carnegie Mellon jumped out to an early 9-4 lead before WU took its first lead (10-9) with 15:37 left in the first half. Junior Clayton Barlow-Wilcox helped the Tartans take a 15-10 lead, scoring four of six unanswered points for CMU.
CMU extended to a 38-30 lead before junior Scott Stone knocked down two straight 25-foot three-pointers from the top of the key. After the Tartans pushed ahead 42-36, senior Michael Faherty helped the Bears to within two points again with back-to-back buckets in the paint. Still, CMU scored nine of the final 13 points of the opening frame for a 51-44 lead at the half.
Senior Michael Divens led three Tartans in double figures with 11 points; Barlow-Wilcox and junior Nate Maurer added 10 points apiece. Senior Rob Keller led the Bears with nine points.
Carnegie Mellon opened up a 56-46 lead early in the second period before the Bears started chipping away at their deficit. Faherty sparked a 10-3 WU run, scoring eight of the team's points during the spree. Faherty connected on two triples from the right wing and scored on a put-back basket to draw the Bears to within 59-56 about 15 minutes to play.
However, CMU extended its lead back to nine points (73-49) to force a WU timeout with 8:54 left on the clock. After the Bears' timeout, freshman Troy Ruths converted on a three-point play to make it a 73-67 ballgame, but Carnegie Mellon went on a 10-0 run thereafter for an 83-67 advantage and another Bears timeout.
Stone led the Bears with 19 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the field, including three treys. Senior Anthony Hollins contributed six points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Barlow-Wilcox notched a game-high 26 points for the Tartans, while Divens posted 20 points and eight boards.
WU returns to action Sunday, Feb. 20 against the University of Rochester. Tip-off is set for noon at the WU Field House.