CLEVELAND, Ohio – Despite a game and career-high 21 points from freshman point guard Jordan Dean (St. Johns, Fla./Creekside), the Case Western Reserve University men's basketball team fell by a score of 75-63 to rival Carnegie Mellon University (Pa.) in its University Athletic Association opener on Saturday evening at Horsburgh Gymnasium.
The Spartans (8-4, 0-1 UAA) lose two in a row for the first time this season and will return to action with a pair of UAA home games next weekend starting with Washington University-St. Louis at 8:00 p.m. on Friday, January 13. The Tartans improve to 6-6 overall and snap a five-game losing streak versus CWRU.
Dean's career-high came on 6-of-8 shooting from the field. Sophomore center David Thompson (Plano, Texas/Plano Senior) also scored in double-figures with a 16-point, eight-rebound effort, while senior forward Tom Summers (Murrysville, Pa./Franklin Regional) added eight points and eight boards.
In the first half, the Spartans led 11-10 when freshman forward Dane McLoughlin (Westerville, Ohio/St. Charles Preparatory) hit a jumper at 12:45. Carnegie Mellon came back with a 19-5 run over the next 7:23 and led 29-16 when Matt Loebbaka scored a layup with 5:23 left before intermission. The Spartans chipped away over the duration of the period and went into the half down 10, at 38-28.
In the second, Case opened on an 11-4 run and pulled within three, at 42-39, when Thompson completed a three-point play with 14:49 left to play. The two sides then went back-and-forth over the next five and a half minutes before the Spartans got within two, at 51-49, with a three-pointer from Dean at 9:27. From there, CMU pulled away with a 14-5 run that culminated with a Loebbaka free throw with 4:06 remaining. The Spartans never got closer than nine the rest of the way.
For the game, the Tartans outrebounded the Spartans, 44-29, and held a decided advantage in second-chance points, 17-4. John Duhring led CMU with 20 points.
Following next Friday's game with Washington-St. Louis, the Spartans host the University of Chicago (Ill.) on Sunday, Jan. 15 at 12:00 p.m.