The Rochester Yellowjackets’ basketball teams faced off against the Carnegie Mellon (CMU) Tartans in a double header on Jan. 21, with the men’s team winning 71-60 and the women’s team losing 47-63.
The men’s team took the court first, quickly establishing a strong defensive presence by jumping out to a 9-0 lead. The Tartans bounced back strongly, however, tying the game at 21 with five minutes left in the first half. Rochester made the most of the time remaining, managing to score 14 points to lead the game 35-30 going into the half. Senior forward Brian Amabilino Perez led all scorers with 11 points at the break.
The lead would not change hands again, with Rochester’s lead ballooning to as much as 18 in the second half. Amabilino Perez excelled, leading all scorers with 18 total points on 7-12 shooting, along with 10 rebounds and 4 assists.
Outside shooting favored the Yellowjackets, with the team hitting 7 of 15 attempts from three. Senior guard Trent Noordsij sank three of his eight attempts, contributing 15 points in total. Continuing their impressive inside presence, the Yellowjackets also outscored the Tartans 42-32 in the paint. Rochester moves to 10-4 after the win.
Shortly after the final buzzer sounded, the women’s team tipped off their matchup. Similarly to the previous game, Rochester started hot with a quick 9-2 run to open the game. The Tartans managed to tie the game at 13 just seconds into the second quarter, trading the lead with Rochester before mounting a 12-5 run to close out the half with a score of 34-27.
Shooting proved to be the Yellowjackets’ Achilles’ heel throughout the matchup, connecting on just 17 of their 65 shots throughout the game, and just 4 of their 18 shots from beyond the arc. CMU maintained control throughout the rest of the game, leading by as much as 20 in the fourth quarter.
Junior guard Hannah Lindemuth led the team with 11 points, while fellow junior forward Callie McCulley pulled down an impressive 13 rebounds. The team moves to 10-5 on the season.
Both teams have a busy week ahead of them, facing off against Case Western on Jan. 23, and against NYU on Jan. 28. If you are interested in supporting Rochester Yellowjackets basketball virtually, live stream links, as well as complete box scores, are provided on the University athletic calendar.
