From Carnegie Mellon University Athletics
Senior Jackie Hudepohl's (Saratoga, Calif./Lynbrook (Colgate)) career-high 31 points led the 13th-ranked Carnegie Mellon University women's basketball team to a 68-66 win at Washington & Jefferson College on Tuesday, December 6. The Tartans led for nearly the entire contest but had to withstand a rally and strong second half by the Presidents to earn the road win and move to 7-0 on the season.
Hudepohl's 31 points came on 10-of-19 shooting from the floor with 10-of-12 made shots from the free throw line. Senior center Lisa Murphy (McLean, Va./McLean) finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds on 6-of-7 shooting from the floor. Junior Anna Novak (San Antonio, Texas/Alamo Heights) and Hudepohl each pulled down seven rebounds.
The Tartans shot 8-of-14 in the first quarter and led by as many as 16 points, 20-4, with 1:53 to play after Hudepohl connected on two free throws for her ninth and 10th points of the frame. A jumper by freshman Megan Jaeb (San Jose, Calif./Presentation) ended the period with the Tartans leading 23-10.
W&J cut the deficit to nine by the end of the first half by making four of its final five shots of the half. That spark for the Presidents was put on hold as they returned from the locker room missing their first four shots from the floor.
The Tartans could only push the lead to 12 with a jumper and free throw two minutes into the second half before W&J went on a 10-0 run that covered nearly a three-minute drought by the Tartans.
After five points by the Tartans, the Presidents used a 12-2 run to take their first lead of the game with 1:51 to play in the third period. The three-ball was big for the Presidents all game and the 12-2 run ended on back-to-back shots from behind the arc.
The lead for the Presidents lasted just 44 seconds and the Tartans closed the quarter with five free throws to retake the lead and hold a 55-53 advantage before the final 10 minutes.
A jumper by Mia Woytovich on the Presidents' second possession of the closing quarter tied the game but Hudepohl answered with a jumper to give the Tartans back the lead, one they would hold onto until the final buzzer when Taylor Cortazzo's three-point attempt bounced off the rim and out of play.
The Presidents finished making 9-of-24 from long range after missing their final four attempts for the game. Danielle Parker led the home team with 17 points while Amirah Moore had 14 and Danni Medovich scored 12.
The Tartans shot slightly above their season average at 47.9% but 19 turnovers led to 18 points for the Presidents, keeping the home squad in the game in front of a crowd of 234.