PITTSBURGH, PA – The University of Rochester men's basketball's potential game-winner fell off the front end of the rim in regulation, and the Yellowjackets fell to the Carnegie Mellon University Tartans, 87-70 in overtime on Friday evening inside Wiegand Gymnasium.
 
With the score knotted at 67-all following a pair of free throws by R.J. Holmes, the Yellowjackets came out of a timeout with 17 seconds to play with a chance to pick up a road win in the Steel City. But Corvin Oprea's jumper rimmed out, and C.J. Amsellem's tip-in rolled off the rim and Holmes corralled the rebound, sending the two sides to overtime.
 
Oprea would get the Yellowjackets started in OT with a bucket, two of a team-high 18 points for the sophomore, but the Tartans would dominate the extra period the rest of the way, shooting 75% from the field and 2-for-3 from beyond the arc in overtime.
 
Justin Allen answered Oprea's layup with six-straight points, as the sophomore scored 10 of his game-high 31 points in OT. Back-to-back three-pointers from Aidan Booher and Buckey DeJardin would then make it a nine-point Carnegie Mellon lead before Allen would add four more, as the Tartans outscored UR, 20-3 in the overtime period to earn the 87-70 victory.
 
Rochester led much of the early going of the contest, leading by as many as 10 in the first half. Andrew Jackson's floater 18 seconds in got the scoring started for both sides, and after Allen answered on the other end, the Yellowjackets reeled off 10-straight points to take an early lead.
 
Tomiwa Adetosoye and Matt Wiele each contributed four points over the 10-0 run before the Tartans cut into Rochester's lead with five from Aidan Murphy and a bucket from Booher.
 
Carnegie Mellon then pulled within two on Allen's triple, but each time the Tartans got things close in the first half, Rochester would have an answer. Mitchell Kershner answered Allen's three with a layup, as the 'Jackets held the Tartans scoreless for three-plus minutes.
 
Two more from Adetosoye stretched UR's lead back out to eight before the Tartans cut it to five on Stone's two free throws with just over six minutes left in the first half.
 
Logan Jagodzinski answered with his first points of the night, once again making it a seven-point game, before Oprea cashed a triple, one of three makes from beyond the arc for the sophomore.
 
Rochester would lead 35-31 at the halftime break, but the Tartans got hot to start the second half and took their first lead of the night. Allen and Holmes helped power a 10-2 run for the Tartans, as CMU took a 41-37 lead on Nolan Casey's layup with 17:53 to play.
 
But the Yellowjackets answered, turning a four-point deficit into an eight-point lead over the next three minutes with a 12-0 run while holding CMU to 0-for-7 from the field. Adetosoye's driving layup gave the 'Jackets a 49-41 lead, but again the Tartans would claw their way back, pulling within one just over a minute-and-a-half later on Allen's driving layup to cap off a 7-0 spurt for CMU.
 
Two free throws from Oprea kept the 'Jackets in front, and Rochester would extend their lead to seven, 59-52, on Jagodzinski's emphatic dunk with 8:45 to play.
 
But the Tartans would go on one more run, this time taking a 60-59 lead on back-to-back Casey buckets with 4:16 remaining, before Allen answered Oprea's step-back triple with a drive to the hoop, leveling the score at 62-all heading into the final two-and-a-half minutes.
 
Oprea and Jack Stone then traded threes, before Adetosoye gave Rochester a two-point lead with his driving layup with 55 seconds left.
 
Allen was fouled on CMU's ensuing possession, and while the sophomore missed them both, Holmes got the offensive rebound and was fouled, sending him to the line for 1-and-1. Holmes hit them both, setting up the 'Jackets for a potential game-winner, but both Oprea and Amsellem's attempts rimmed out, and the Tartans would dominate OT to take home the 87-70 victory.
 
Rochester falls to 10-13 (4-8 UAA) with the loss, while Carnegie Mellon moves to 15-8 (7-5 UAA) with the victory.
 
Adetosoye and Oprea each led Rochester with 18 points, while Jagodzinski scored 12. Jackson and Wiele each led UR on the glass with six rebounds, while Adetosoye tallied a team-high four assists, adding a steal.
 
Overall, Rochester shot 36.5 percent and just 1-for-8 in the overtime period, while the Tartans shot 38.3 percent, and 6-for-8 in OT.
 
The Yellowjackets will wrap up their weekend trip in Cleveland, OH with a matchup against No. 13 Case Western Reserve on Sunday, Feb. 18 at noon.