Men’s basketball defeats Brandeis after loss to NYU

The Carnegie Mellon men’s basketball team played two games against University Athletic Association (UAA) rivals this past weekend, the New York University (NYU) Violets on Friday, Feb. 2, and the Brandeis University Judges on Sunday, Feb. 4. The Tartans split the games, falling to NYU 71–59 and defeating Brandeis 72–58.

Against the Violets, three Tartans scored double digit points, led by junior Patrick Ehland with 14 points off the bench. Ehland also led the team in rebounds, with seven. Sophomore Colin McNeil posted his first career double-double, with 10 points and 10 assists, which also led the Carnegie Mellon squad. Sophomore Zach Howard also added 10 points in the loss.

The Tartans opened the game strong, going on a 9–2 run to set the tone early. The Violets responded immediately with their own 14–1 run in the next five minutes to establish a 16–10 lead over the home team. The momentum shifted to the Tartans, who took back the lead 22–18 with a 12–2 run, with seven of the points from junior Seth Henry. Seven straight points gave the Violets back the lead, who held on to end the half leading 31–28.

Ehland scored the first points of the second half, tipping in his own missed layup. Continuing the back-and-forth runs of the first half, the second half began with a 11–4 run by the Tartans. After trading baskets for the next couple possessions, Ehland’s layup tied the game at 45–45. Over the next eight minutes, the Violets put together a 17–6 run for an 11-point lead. With 2:13 left to play, a free throw by Ehland cut the lead to seven, but the Violets built on their lead and finished the game 71–59.

The Tartans recorded more second chance points, points in the paint, and bench points than the Violets, but suffered from a lower field goal percentage (37.3 percent to the Violets’ 46.4 percent).

Four Tartans recorded double digit points against the Brandeis Judges on Sunday. Sophomore Trent Suddeth led the way with 15 points and 10 rebounds, on his second career double-double. McNeil and Howarth scored 11 points apiece, while McNeil also dished out a team-high five assists, and senior Ryan Maha added ten points.

The Tartans began the game hot, scoring seven straight points on their way to a 20–4 run, which included four consecutive three-pointers, over the first seven minutes of the first half. The Tartans defense did not let the lead fall below 10 points. The home team entered the half with the score 45–24.

An 11-2 run early in the second half helped the Judges cut the Tartan’s 21-point lead to a 12-point lead. At the midway point of the half, a layup by Howarth sparked 11 straight points for the Tartans to make the score 66–44. The Tartans would not relinquish the lead, ultimately winning the game 72–58.

An overall 48.3 field goal percentage for the game gave the Tartans the edge over the Judges, who shot 35.6 percent from the field. The Tartan’s 35 percent three-point percentage compared to the Judges’ 26.3 percent also helped the Tartans secure the win.

With their win against Brandeis, the first since December, the Tartans broke a 10-game losing streak and move to 5–15 on the season and 1–8 in UAA play. The team will return to Skibo Gymnasium to host Emory University on Friday, Feb. 9, at 8 p.m.