Despite another career-best performance from freshman standout Tatum Olson, the Emory University women's basketball team fell on the road Sunday afternoon to Carnegie Mellon University, 69-57, in Pittsburgh.
After dropping 24 points Friday night in Cleveland, Olson was on firing for the Eagles offensively against the Tartans as she notched a career-high 27 points to led both teams. Olson shot 10-for-22 from the field, including 4-for-7 from distance, and grabbed a team-leading eight rebounds. She was joined in double figures by junior Alexandra Loucopoulos with 14 points to go along with seven rebounds.
Olson had the Eagles clicking to start Sunday's contest as the rookie scored the team's first 10 points and helped establish a 12-5 lead midway through the first quarter. A triple by Olson gave Emory its largest lead of the period at 18-8 and she recorded 17 of her 27 points as the Eagles led 22-17 at the end of one.
The second quarter was the difference maker on Sunday as Carnegie Mellon outpaced the Eagles 27-10 across the ten minutes and took a 12-point lead into halftime at 44-32.
The Tartans' lead grew to as many as 19 points in the third quarter but the Eagles were able to cut the deficit back to single digits after scoring the first seven points to begin the fourth, including five points from Olson. Emory made it an 8-point game three different times over the course of the frame and an Olson free throw made it 64-57 with 54 seconds remaining but CMU registered the final five points of the afternoon to seal the home win.
Emory and Carnegie Mellon will be back in action Wednesday afternoon as the teams travel to Atlanta to makeup the postponement from January 25th. Tip off from the WoodPEC is set for 1:00 PM.
