The Case Western Reserve University women's basketball team suffered a 75-56 loss to Carnegie Mellon University in its opening game of University Athletic Association play in Pittsburgh on Saturday afternoon.

The loss dropped the Spartans to 7-5 overall and 0-1 in UAA games, while the Tartans improved to 9-3 with a 1-0 league mark.

Senior forward Kayla Characklis led all CWRU players with 20 points to go along with four rebounds, a pair of assists, and a block. It was her third 20-point effort of the season. Senior guard Sarah Mitchell added 12 points and four rebounds, while graduate student forward Morgan Micallef came off the bench to score nine points with a team-leading seven rebounds.

CWRU never led in the game, as the Spartans found themselves down 21-15 by the end of the opening period and 42-28 at halftime after the Tartans shot 59.4% over the first 20 minutes. CWRU cut the lead to as few as 10 points in the third quarter after a jumper by Mitchell trimmed the Tartan advantage to 42-32 with 7:35 left in the frame, but Carnegie Mellon increased its lead to as many as 22 points in the third and carried a 58-38 lead into the fourth, before going on for the 19-point victory.

The Spartans will return home next weekend for a pair of UAA games, hosting top-ranked New York University on Friday, January 12, and Brandeis on Sunday, January 14 at Horsburgh Gymnasium in Cleveland.