PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The College at Brockport men's basketball team suffered a sluggish start to the new year, falling on the road to Carnegie Mellon University on Monday, 89-66.
 
The Golden Eagles fall to 8-2 on the year while the Tartans are now 6-5 on the season.
 
The Brockport offense struggled to sustain scoring, as just one player reached double figures, with Devonn Gavin providing the majority of the scoring with a season-high 25 points. Marcus Blythers added 9, Hamed Shamseldin chipped in seven and David Clark and Clifton Lyerly each finished with six points apiece.
 
Out of the gate, the Green and Gold looked strong, going tick-for-tack with the Tartans. The first 10 minutes of play saw six lead changes and three ties, with scores from five different Golden Eagles that gave Brockport a 17-16 edge by the 11:18 mark.
 
The Brockport offense went cold, as they saw CMU sustain a 19-1 run down to the stretch, forcing the Golden Eagles to dig out of an early hole. The Green and Gold used their defense to chip away at their deficit, with three straight scores off turnovers, from Gavin, Shamseldin and Blythers to make the count 35-24 with less than two minutes remaining. Brockport traded scores, and following a Tartan triple, trailed 42-28 heading into the break.
 
At the half, Gavin led the Green and Gold with eight points, shooting 3-of-4 from the field. Blythers added seven points with Lyerly chipping in six.
 
To open the second half, a pair of Brockport scores off steals from Blythers and Smith cut the Tartan lead to just 10. But the Golden Eagles saw CMU post a 26-4 run down to the 9:24 mark that swelled the Tartan lead to 70-38.
 
Tasked with erasing a substantial deficit, Gavin went to work, scoring eight straight for the Golden Eagles, making the count 75-48 with 7:36 to play. Several Golden Eagles worked in scores, with Malick Sylla and Jon Carnegie both connecting from deep range, but it wasn't enough as the Golden Eagles fell 89-66.
 
Brockport edged CMU in the points off turnovers category, with a tally of 27-21 while forcing 23 turnovers. The Green and Gold also came out on top in fast break points, with a margin of 16-7.
 
The Golden Eagles will be back in action on Jan. 6 when they host St. Lawrence University with tip off set for 5 p.m.
 
Be sure to stay up to date on all your Golden Eagle scores and awards by following @BportAthletics on Twitter and by liking the "Brockport Golden Eagles" Facebook page.