The Case Western Reserve University women's basketball team will conclude its 2018-19 on Saturday, February 23rd, when it hosts Carnegie Mellon University at 2:00 p.m. inside Horsburgh Gymnasium in Cleveland, Ohio. Saturday will also mark 'Senior Day' for the Spartans, as the team will honor the team members in their last season with the squad during a ceremony prior to the start of the game.
LIVE COVERAGE
Video: https://case.edu/livestream/athletics
Live Stats: https://athletics.case.edu/sports/wbkb/2018-19/boxscores/20190223_7stb.xml
SENIOR DAY
Saturday's game will mark the final game in the careers of four members of the team – forward Kara Hageman, guard/forward Hillary Hellmann, and student assistant coaches Alexis Amburgey and Darby Kreienberg. Together, this group has helped the Spartans to two winning campaigns in the last three seasons, including a 14-10 record so far this year, marking the seventh time in program history the team has won 14 or more games in a season. Included in this year's successful campaign was a program-best 4-0 start to UAA play, and an eight-game winning streak, the second-longest in team history.
CWRU SPARTANS
Case Western Reserve will enter their final game of the season with a 14-10 overall record, including a mark of 4-5 in home games. The Spartans are 6-7 in the University Athletic Association this season, and have assured themselves a fourth-place finish in the league standings. CWRU split a pair of home games last weekend, topping Emory 63-58 on Friday, prior to suffering a 73-63 setback to Rochester on Sunday. The team averages 71.0 points per game and allows 70.6 points per contest, while shooting 40.3% overall and 30.5% from three-point range. CWRU is led by Hillary Hellmann, who is scoring 17.6 points and averaging 8.2 rebounds per game this season, while Kara Hageman has added 15.4 points and 9.7 rebounds per contest.
The Spartans are under the leadership of Head Coach Jennifer Reimer, who is now 138-160 during her 12 seasons with the team and 295-261 overall during her 22-year career. She is assisted by Kelly Muffley, Erin Gdaniec, Alexis Amburgey, Darby Kreienberg and Megan Shanosky.
CARNEGIE MELLON TARTANS
The Tartans enter Saturday's contest with a 12-12 overall record, including a 3-10 mark in the conference this season. Carnegie Mellon has gone 5-6 in true road contests and 8-6 in all games away from home this year. The team is coming off a home split last weekend, claiming a 68-54 win over Rochester on Friday and falling to Emory on Sunday 57-46. The Tartans average 62.7 points per game on 38.8% shooting overall and 29.5% from behind the three-point line, while allowing 60.8 points per contest. Junior guard Makayla Filiere leads the team with 10.4 points per game, while freshman guard Leah Weslock is adding 9.8 points and 6.0 rebounds per contest, and freshman forward Caitlyn Clendenin is scoring 9.5 points and collecting 6.4 rebounds per game.
Carnegie Mellon is coached by Jacquie Hullah, who is now in her eighth year with the Tartans and has gone 110-95 with the team. She now stands at 267-250 over her 20-year career, which includes stops at Division I Dartmouth and Arizona State. Hullah is assisted by Samantha Crough.
MATCHUP HISTORY
CWRU picked up the win in the first meeting between the two teams this season, defeating Carnegie Mellon 74-63 in Pittsburgh on January 5. Hillary Hellmann finished the game with a double-double, leading all scorers with 24 points and adding 11 rebounds, and freshman guard Abbey Lawrence scored a career-high 19 points and added seven rebounds.
The Spartans hold a 34-17 edge in the all-time series against Carnegie Mellon University, which dates back to the 1987-88 season. Last year, CWRU dropped both games to the Tartans, falling 69-57 in Cleveland and 71-55 in Pittsburgh, despite Hellmann averaging 23.5 points over the two games.
SPARTAN NOTES
- The Spartans' 14 wins this season are the third-highest win total during Reimer's time with the team. It is the seventh time in program history the team has won 14 or more games. Should the Spartans win on Saturday, it would mark the fifth time ever that CWRU has won 15 or more games in a year, and the first time since the 2012-13 campaign.
- CWRU has shot 40% or better in each of their last four games, going 2-2 during the stretch. The team has not 40% or better 14 times in 24 games this season, going 9-5 in those games.
- Hillary Hellmann will enter Saturday's game as the conference leader with 17.6 points per game, 0.6 more than NYU's Janean Cuffee, who is second in the league in scoring this season. Hellmann is also third among all UAA players with 8.2 rebounds per game.
- Hellmann needs just 22 points to become the second player in program history with 1,600 career points. She would join former Spartan Erin Rogalski (1997-01), who is the program's all-time leader with 1,659 career points.
- Kara Hageman is currently fifth in the UAA with 15.4 points per game, and second with 9.7 rebounds per contest. She also ranks fourth in the league with 1.5 blocks per contest.
- Hageman recently became the fourth player in program history (along with Rogalski, Hellmann and Erin Hollinger) with 1,400 career points. She surpassed the mark with her 20-point performance against Rochester on Sunday. She is also fourth in school history with 692 career rebounds and third with 130 blocks.
- Hageman also leads the team this season with 10 double-doubles, seven of which have come during UAA games. Hellmann has contributed nine double-doubles this season, including four in league play. Both players have registered 20 total double-doubles over their careers.
- CWRU's fourth place finish in the conference is the team's best in UAA play since also finishing fourth in the league during the 2012-13 season.