CASE 72, #11 CARNEGIE MELLON 69...
PITTSBURGH, PA (January 20, 2006) - Case Western Reserve University senior guard Carson Oren-pictured (South Bend, IN) scored a game high 21 points and added 10 rebounds tonight as the Spartans handed Carnegie Mellon University, currently ranked 11th in the country, their first University Athletic Association loss of the year, 72-69, in front of a standing room only crowd at Skibo Gymnasium in Pittsburgh. 
The Spartans improve to 2-2 in the University Athletic Association and 10-5 overall while Carnegie Mellon falls to 3-1 and 13-2. Case will travel to the University of Rochester for a 1:00 p.m. game on Sunday.
Case only trailed the Tartans briefly in the first half, 8-9 at 12:36 and 10-11 at 12:05. The Spartans, behind 57.7 percent shooting from the field, led by as many as nine (28-19 at 6:14) and took a two point advantage (35-33) into the half. Junior guard Matt Cannan (Dublin, OH) led Case with 10 points and six rebounds in the first 20 minutes. He finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds, his second double-double. The Spartans out rebounded the Tartans 45-37 in the game.
Carnegie Mellon tied the game 51-51 at the 11:50 mark in the second half and then went on a 11-4 run to take a 62-55 advantage at 8:32. After Case battled back to tie the game 64-64 with 2:01 remaining, senior guard Funso Lafe (Chesterland, OH) put the Spartans up by two (66-64) with 1:40 left in the game and after a Tartan miss, senior guard Richard Mullen (Columbus, OH) made it a five point lead (69-64) on a three-pointer (0:57). Lafe struck again with 44 seconds left with a lay-up that made it 71-66. Carnegie Mellon senior forward Marques Johnson (Pittsburgh, PA) brought it back within two, 71-69, via a three-pointer (0:14). The Tartans had one last three-point attempt that missed left. Lafe finished the game with 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field. Marques led two Tartan players in double figures with 13.
Box Score
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