The Case Western Reserve University men's basketball team, ranked 12th in Division III, clinched a share of the 2023-24 University Athletic Association Championship and the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship field with a 76-75 win over Carnegie Mellon University in Horsburgh Gymnasium in Cleveland on Saturday afternoon.

CWRU, which ended the regular season 21-4 overall and 10-4 in UAA games, claimed the UAA title for the second-straight season and the second time overall in program history, finishing tied atop the conference standings with co-champion New York University. By virtue of the Spartans' season split against the next team in the UAA standings, Carnegie Mellon (compared to an 0-2 record against the Tartans by NYU), the Spartans also earned the UAA's bid to the postseason and will be making their third-straight tournament appearance and third overall in program history.

Carnegie Mellon fell to 16-9 overall and to 8-6 in the UAA with the loss.

Graduate student guard Anthony Mazzeo led all players with 19 points, 17 of which he scored during the first half of the game. Graduate student guard Preston Maccoux came off the bench to score 17 points, 12 of which came in the second half. Junior guard Sam Trunley added 12 points and graduate student forward Colin Kahl finished with his third double-double of the season, scoring 11 points and collecting 14 rebounds.

The Spartans connected on eight three-point shots in the first half alone, leading by as many as 12 points in the frame and taking a six-point lead into halftime. With the score tied at eight four minutes into the game, a three-pointer from Mazzeo and an old-fashioned three-point play by Trunley gave CWRU a 14-8 lead with 15:11 to play. The Tartans trimmed the lead back to two points with 13:11 left, but a layup by Kahl and threes from Mazzeo and Trunley put CWRU in front 22-12 by the 11:29 mark. CMU answered again, trimming the lead to 22-19 with 8:20 left, but the Spartans began to pull away, taking a 37-26 lead with 3:42 left taking a 12-point lead, their largest of the half, on Mazzeo's fourth three of the half that made the score 42-30 with 1:24 on the clock. The Tartans hit threes on back-to-back possessions to end the half, cutting the Spartans' lead in half, as CWRU headed into the break ahead 42-36.

Carnegie Mellon opened the second half on an 8-2 run to tie the game at 44-44 with 17:11 to play. The teams continued to exchange baskets but CWRU did not trail until the 14:54 mark, when the Tartans took a one-point lead on a dunk off a steal by Justin Allen, by Kahl responded with a three on the next possession to put CWRU back ahead 52-50 with 14:32 to play. The Spartans increased their lead back to 11 points, 68-57, with 6:21 to play in the game, but the Tartans answered again with a 9-0 run to cut CWRU's lead back to two points with 4:14 left. Junior forward Umar Rashid hit a three on the next possession to push the Spartans' lead to five with four minutes on the clock, but that would be the last made field goal in the game for CWRU, and the Tartans eventually tied the game at 71-71 with 3:06 left.

Rashid gave CWRU the lead back with a free throw with 2:34 remaining and after a Tartans turnover, Kahl was fouled and knocked down a pair of free throws to push the Spartans lead to 74-71 with 1:57 left. Carnegie Mellon's Justin Allen hit a two with 1:44 left to make it a one-point game, but the Spartans' defense locked down, holding the Carnegie Mellon scoreless over its next two possessions, and two more free throws by Rashid with six seconds remaining gave the Spartans a three-point advantage.

The Tartans had one final chance to even the score and send the game into overtime, but a three-point attempt by Nolan Casey missed the mark. R.J. Holmes was able to tip in the rebound at the buzzer, but it was not enough for the Tartans, as CWRU held on for the one-point win and the UAA Championship.

The Spartans finished the game shooting 40.4% overall (23-57) and 36.1% (13-16) from behind the three-point line.

Before the game, the Spartans recognized the team's eight graduating players who each appeared in the final regular season game of their collegiate career on Saturday - senior forward Hunter Drenth, senior forward Ian Elam, graduate student forward Jaylan Hewitt, Kahl, Maccoux, graduate student guard Richie Manigault, Mazzeo, and senior guard Luke Thorburn.

The Spartans will now await the announcement of the field for the 2024 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournaments, which will be released via a live selection show on NCAA.com at 1:00 p.m. on Monday, February 26. In addition to announcing the selected teams, the show will also reveal the host schools and locations of the first and second-round games.

More information on the NCAA Championships and where and when the Spartans will play will be posted to athletics.case.edu on Monday afternoon.