PITTSBURGH — It's a new era in University Circle.
One year after making their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance, the Case Western Reserve men's basketball team has clinched its second straight spot in the Division III bracket by virtue of winning its first conference title in program history. The Spartans put the cherry on top Saturday with a 95-91 road win over archrival Carnegie Mellon, finishing the regular season 21-3 and 11-3 in the University Athletic Association.
It marks just the latest chapter in an incredible turnaround story under head coach Todd McGuinness, who last season took Case to the Sweet 16 and this year has them ranked 14th in the nation. The Spartans had already clinched at least a share of the UAA (along with the No. 1 tiebreaker) last weekend with a victory over Chicago, but now can claim the outright title.
On this day, the Spartans were paced by senior forward Cole Frilling, who tallied a season-high 30 points on 9 of 13 shooting along with eight rebounds. Umar Rashid and Sam Trunley each added 19 points and six rebounds off the bench, while Danny Fraunheim scored 17 to go with 11 assists.
Justin Allen 33 points paced the Tartans (15-10, 7-7 UAA), who led by three at intermission and by as many as many as seven in the second half. However, CWRU slowly clawed back, and took the lead for good on Frilling's 3 with 8:30 left. The jumper began a 14-4 Spartan run.
Since the UAA does not have a conference tournament, Case Western Reserve will not play again until the NCAA Tournament, which begins next month. The unseeded bracket will be unveiled Monday, and the Spartans could potentially be in line to host the first and second rounds at Horsburgh Gymnasium in Cleveland.