PITTSBURGH, PA -- The La Roche men's basketball team picked up a 71-64 win over crosstown rival Carnegie Mellon on Friday evening. The Redhawks have won two straight against CMU and now return to campus for their home-opener on Tuesday.
Darrell Barron sunk a three-pointer at the 12:49 mark of the first half to tie it at 9-9. Carnegie Mellon went on a hot streak and went four for four from the field to run off nine straight points.
The Redhawks used tough defense and strong rebounding to get back into it. La Roche scored eight straight points and got within one on an Evan Brown three with 7:43 left in the half. Brown drained another three-pointer just thirty-four seconds later for the Redhawks first lead since the 19:15 mark of the first.
La Roche held Carnegie Mellon to just three field goals over the final seven minutes of the half and entered intermission with a 28-26 advantage.
Neither the Redhawks nor Carnegie Mellon could swing the momentum in their favor for the first ten minutes of the second half. The lead changed six times in that time span and the score evened on seven occasions.
La Roche ran off six straight points between the 10:04 and 8:50 points of the second half to take a 50-44 lead. Tyler Frederick hit a three-pointer to spark the run and Darius Lawrence a jumper.
Carnegie Mellon answered with a layup but Zach Gould drained a three for a 53-46 lead at the 7:37 mark.
The host Tartans were able to get back into it and cut the deficit to just one with 2:33 left to play. The Redhawks however had the answer down the stretch.
Trell Thomas upped the lead to four with a layup and free throw and Ryan Norkus followed with a layup of his own. Gould went 3 for 4 and Thomas 2 for 2 from the foul line over the final two minutes.
Thomas scored a career-high 28 points to go along with 8 rebounds. Dion Etheridge pulled down 10 rebounds and Norkus added 9 rebounds. Barron dished out 3 assists.
The difference in the game came on the boards where the Redhawks held a 53-31 advantage and a 18-5 advantage on the offensive end. La Roche also went 17 for 24 from the free throw line.
The Redhawks end their road trip and return to the Kerr Fitness Center for their home-opener on Tuesday. La Roche will host Hiram College in a 7:30pm start.