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This Time, Men's Basketball Comeback Comes Up Short

Friday, February 22, 2013
 

Women’s basketball Track & field

It was the same point differential and almost the same exact score as the Centennial Conference first round game on Wednesday, but unfortunately, this one did not end in Muhlenberg’s favor.

Malique Killing
Killing broke the school record for points in a season (514) and the CC mark for points at the end of the sophomore season (963).
After trailing by as many as 10 in the first half, the men’s basketball team launched yet another exciting playoff comeback in the second half and nearly knocked off top-seeded Franklin & Marshall on its home court.

The Diplomats (20-6) hit a pair of threes in the final 1:38 to retake the lead for the first time since the opening minutes of the second half and defeated the Mules by two, 48-46.

Franklin & Marshall, which has not lost at home all season, advances to the championship game to face Dickinson, which knocked off Johns Hopkins. The Mules ended their season with a record of 17-10.

Matt O'Hara
O'Hara had a team-leading four assists in the final game of his career and finished the season with 105, the most by a Mule in 15 years.
Muhlenberg trailed by five at the half, but tied it up on a pair of free throws by sophomore Malique Killing at the 17:23 mark. Junior Brandon Bovino had a steal on an entry pass on the next play, and classmate Austin Curry converted a jumper in the lane to give the Mules a two-point lead less than a minute later.

On the defensive end, senior Hunter Forsman preserved the Mules’ lead with a huge block on a layup following three offensive rebounds by the Diplomats. On Muhlenberg’s next possession, senior Matt O’Hara nailed a corner three to put the Mules up by five, their largest lead of the game to that point.

Franklin & Marshall answered back shortly after, but its momentum was countered when Bovino put away an uncontested one-handed dunk to put Muhlenberg back up by five with 13:31 to play.

The Mule defense then held the Diplomats scoreless for over nine minutes and entered the final three minutes with a six-point lead, 45-39.

It was not until the 53-second mark and the second of two threes that Franklin & Marshall retook the lead.

The Mules had a turnover on the next play and were forced to foul, and the Diplomats missed the front end of their one-and-one opportunity.

With the shot clock turned off and a chance to win, Killing drove into the lane, but his contested layup fell just off the front end of the rim.

The Diplomats hit only one of two free throws with 2.9 seconds remaining, but time expired before Muhlenberg could get off a shot within range.

Killing led a balanced effort, in which every player scored at least three, with 10 points. Bovino added nine to go along with six rebounds. Junior Kevin Hargrove and Curry each had six, and Curry also had three steals.
Click here for box score.
Click here for complete stats.