After a disappointing winter break, where the Case Western Reserve University men’s basketball team lost both of their games in the E.M. “Mose” Hole/Wooster Kiwanis Classic, they returned on Jan. 11 to Horsburgh Gymnasium to upset No. 24-ranked Carnegie Mellon University 89-67 in their first UAA game of the 2024-2025 season. With the win, the Spartans improved 5-7 overall and 1-0 in conference play. 

The game began strong with fourth-year captain and guard Sam Trunley notching the first points on the scoreboard with a 3-pointer. This set the pace for the Spartans as they would not relinquish the lead for the entirety of the game. The Tartans later tied the score for their first and only time in the game at 3-3 before the Spartans pulled ahead with three consecutive shots from graduate student forward Andy Barba. The greatest lead of the first half for the Spartans came 10 minutes into the game as Trunley registered a jumper, placing CWRU up 24-12. Carnegie Mellon tried to make a comeback with a 12-4 run. However, they came up short behind the Spartans, and CWRU eventually led 39-33 going into halftime. 

During the second half, the Spartans continued dominating on the court, with Barba, Trunley and fourth-year captain and forward Umar Rashid all converting 3-point shots in the first few minutes after the break. The Spartans led by as many as 27 following 5 consecutive points from second-year guard Drey Fox and a layup by Rashid with 3:40 left.

With their significant lead, many players were able to see time off the bench. 

“[My favorite moment of the game was] getting to clear the bench and allowing the younger guys a chance to play. I remember being in their shoes and dying to get in at the end of a game, so it felt cool to make that happen for them,” Trunley said.

The final points of the game came from a layup by first-year guard Eli Teslovich, who came off the bench for the third time this season.

Trunley credits the team’s preparation and subsequent victory to Head Coach Todd McGuinness. “Coach McGuinness brought a new level of intensity to practice this week and the guys responded well,” he said.

Overall, the team shot 36-76 (47.4%) from the field with 12-35 (34.3%) from beyond the arc. The Spartans also led the Tartans with 26 points from turnovers compared to Carnegie Mellon’s 7. Individually, Trunley led the squad with 28 points, followed by first-year guard Matthew Ellis with a career-high of 15 points and Rashid and Barba both with 13 points. Rashid also received his sixth double-double of the season with 13 rebounds in addition to his 13 points.

With his significant contributions to the game, Trunley was selected to D3hoops.com’s Team of the Week and was also named UAA Athlete of the Week. This was the second and third time, respectively, Trunley earned these honors this season. He is also the first player in program history to have a career total of three D3hoops.com honors as well as be able to achieve two honors in a season. 

“[The win] feels great but it’s only great if it is the start of more winning,” Trunley commented as he reiterates the hopes for the games to come. 

This Friday, Jan. 17, the Spartans will travel to St. Louis to face No. 11-ranked University of Washington St. Louis, who also experienced an upset after the University of Chicago bested them 71-66 while the Bears were recovering from a bout of food poisoning. The following Sunday, the squad will be in Chicago facing UChicago to continue conference play.