WASHINGTON, DC – Ja'Zere Noel had 22 points and Khalif Meares scored 20 as Rowan overcame a double-digit deficit to defeat Carnegie Mellon, 81-69,  in the first round of the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship, held at Catholic University.  The Profs (20-7) advance to play #14 Catholic  on Saturday at 5:45 p.m.

Noel, who had 14 first-half points, grabbed eight rebounds and Meares grabbed five steals as Rowan forced the Tartans into 21 turnovers. Marcellus Ross scored 13 points to lead the effort. 

Carnegie Mellon (16-10) built upon a 43-38 halftime to lead to go up by 11, 61-50, at the midpoint of the second half. But the Profs scored nine straight points, and pulled within 61-59 and eventually tied it, 63-63, after a bucket from Noel at 6:41. 

 A three-pointer and three-point play from Ross gave Rowan the lead for good, 71-65, at 2:52. From there, the Profs would connect on 11 straight free throws from Chris McCarron, Drew Amos, Meares and Jamir Spivey to build up a double-digit lead and seal the win.  

 The Profs staked a 21-9 lead in the first eight minutes behind 12 points from Noel, but saw the Tartans score 16 consecutive points in a span of five minutes to take a 25-21 lead. From there the teams traded leads and were tied twice. 

Carnegie Mellon held a 41-36 lead with :50 to play in the first half but Ross hit a jumper at :32 before the Tartans scored with two seconds remaining to take a 43-38 lead into halftime. 

The Profs' defense took over in the second half as they forced Carnegie Mellon into 38 percent shooting from the field after the Tartans started the game hitting 52 percent in the second half. 

This marks the second year in a row that Rowan has advanced to the NCAA Second Round.