PITTSBURGH – A game-turning 10-0 run over 2:02 late in the second half provided the impetus for an 81-74 victory by Rochester over Carnegie Mellon in men's basketball at Skibo Gym on Sunday afternoon.
Couple in nearly pinpoint shooting from the foul line – Rochester made 29 of 34 shots from the stripe – and the Yellowjackets had their 16th win of the season. Rochester is 16-8 overall, 8-6 in the University Athletic Association. Carnegie Mellon is 8-16, 3-10 UAA.
Nate Novosel and John DiBartolomeo scored 20 points apiece for Rochester. Novosel hit eight of 10 from the line. DiBartolomeo made 11 of 13, added four assists, and five rebounds. Chris Dende scored 18 points, hitting four three-pointers. He was six of eight from the floor overall.
Rashaun Riley led Carnegie Mellon with 18 points, hitting seven of nine floor shots. Sean Brophy had a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. John Duhring and Andre Moore had eight points each.
With CMU ahead, 67-64, after Riley hit a runner in the lane, Rochester scored 10 straight: Dende hit a three-pointer from right wing. Nate Vernon scored on a fast-break layup after a steal. Vernon followed with a fallaway 16-footer off the right baseline to beat the shot clock, and Novosel converted a traditional three-point play – driving for a layup and adding the free throw. Rochester led, 74-67, with 2:16 to go. The Yellowjackets were five of six from the foul line in the last 32 seconds.
The last time these teams met – January 22 in the Palestra – Rochester needed a buzzer-beating three-pointer from Dende to force overtime enroute to a 72-64 victory.
For a while, overtime did not look like a possibility. Rochester opened its largest lead, 52-38, on two Kevin Sheehy free throws with 12:44 remaining. A layup by Reid kept the lead at 13, 62-49, before the Tartans made a run.
CMU found an offensive rhythm, outscoring Rochester 18-2 over a stretch of 4:20 to turn the 49-62 deficit into a 67-64 lead. All the points came from Moore (eight), Brophy (five), and Riley (five). Moore's trey from right of the key put CMU ahead, 65-64. Riley's runner in the lane followed.