WASHINGTON, Pa. -- Matt Seidl (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) and Nick Gearhart (Huntingdon, Pa./Huntingdon) scored 26 points and 21 points, respectively, but it wasn't enough as a hot shooting Carnegie Mellon team outlasted the Washington & Jefferson College men's basketball team by a 95-88 score Monday evening in a non-conference game at Salvitti Family Gymnasium. 
 
Seidl filled the stat sheet by adding seven rebounds, four steals and four assists in the setback. Gearhart accounted for 21 points while Alex Acosta (Acworth, Ga./North Cobb) posted his third double-double of the season with 15 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks. 
 
The Tartans rode the hot hand of Justin Allen to victory. Allen dropped 40 points on 13-of-21 shooting in the Tartans victory. The performance marked the second time this season that Allen has reached the 40-point mark. 
 
The game featured three ties and eight lead changes. W&J pushed out to an early 12-7 lead behind five-straight points by Seidl. A three-pointer by Kaden DiVito (Coraopolis, Pa./Cornell) near the midway point of the first half stretched the Presidents' lead to nine, which was its largest advantage of the game. 
 
Carnegie Mellon chipped away at the deficit from that point forward. A three-point field goal by Buckley DeJardin helped the Tartans regain the lead at 37-36 with 2:46 to play in the half. 
 
From that point the lead would change hands five times over the final 1:21 of the half. A jumper by DiVito with the 19 seconds remaining put W&J up 42-41 at the break. 
 
A fast start to the second half helped W&J extend its lead to seven after a three-point play by Gearhart. The Gearhart layup and free throw made it 52-45 at the 17:35 mark. Just four minutes later, CMU regained the lead on a triple by Buckley DeJardin, which made it 58-57. The three was part of an extended 17-6 run that put CMU up by five points with 13 minutes left. 
 
Carnegie Mellon continued to lead throughout the second half. The Tartans extended their lead to as many as 11 points when a three-point field goal made it 79-68 with 7:39 to play. W&J put together a run of its own to tie the score at 82 all. A layup by Acosta with 4:11 remaining. 
 
The Tartans closed out the game with a 13-6 run. Allen answered with consecutive buckets before later burying a three-point field goal that made it 89-94 with 2:52 left. A layup by Acosta made it a one-possession game but CMU pulled away in the final minute.
 
W&J held a 48-34 advantage in points in the paint. CMU edged W&J in rebounding by a slim 43-42 margin. Three-point shooting helped CMU gain a minor advantage. The Tartans made 9-of-21 from distance while the Presidents hit on just six-of-26 attempts. Both teams attempted 27 free throws with CMU making 22 and W&J converting 20.

W&J led for 22:59 of the game while CMU held the advantage for 15:54. 
 
The Presidents return to action on Wednesday, Nov. 29 when they travel to Waynesburg University for a PAC game. Tip off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.