Tartans Complete Season with 80-69 Win for ECAC Championship Title
Mar 5, 2017

From Carnegie Mellon University Athletics

The Carnegie Mellon University women's basketball team completed the 2016-2017 season with a win Sunday, March 5 in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Championship presented by Visit Myrtle Beach. The Tartans, who hosted the tournament, topped Waynesburg University in the final, 80-69. With the victory, the Tartans won their second ECAC Championship in program history and tied the school record for wins in a season with 21.

Senior Lisa Murphy (McLean, Va./McLean) was named the tournament MVP after averaging 22.3 points and 16.7 rebounds with 10 assists and eight blocks in three games. Against Waynesburg, Murphy led all scorers with 23 points while she grabbed 15 rebounds and dished out five assists.

Also named to the all-tournament team was freshman Makayla Filiere (Chandler, Ariz./Hamilton). The freshman hit 9-of-13 from the field to record a career-high 21 points. She also picked up four assists. Senior Jackie Hudepohl (Saratoga, Calif./Lynbrook (Colgate)) recorded 14 rebounds, nine points and six assists in her final career game.

Waynesburg was led by Addy Knetzer's 13 points while Katie Gehlmann, who reached 1,000 career points in the game, scored 10. Both were honored on the all-tournament team along with Stevenson's Sara Tarbert.

The championship game came down to the fourth quarter, as the Tartans built upon a four-point advantage and outscored the Yellow Jackets 24-17 in the final frame. The Tartans, who connected on a season-best 10 three-pointers, hit four from behind the arc in the final 10 minutes. One of those three-pointers came off the finger tips of freshman Megan Jaeb (San Jose, Calif./Presentation) after Waynesburg cut the Tartans' lead to six points, 71-65, with 2:22 to play.

With Carnegie Mellon holding a nine-point advantage with 1:39 to go, Murphy scored down low and hit the ensuing free throw, seemingly putting the game out of reach for the Yellow Jackets.

The Tartans shot 43.8% from the field, with a season-best 52.6% showing from behind the arc. The Yellow Jackets knocked down 40.3% of their attempts, while the Tartans won the battle on the boards, 46-32.

Murphy ends her final season as a Tartan with an astounding 78.0% effort from the field which sets a new NCAA record across all three divisions, overtaking her own school and Division III record of 75.2% set last year. In addition, her career field-goal percentage of .712 also sets a new NCAA record across all three divisions.