women’s basketball cooks up CC win

Late Men’s Rally Falls Short The Muhlenberg men’s basketball team cut into a large second-half deficit but not could quite make it all the way back in falling to New Jersey, 93-85. The Mules (1-2) hung tough with the Lions (4-1) in the first half and entered the break trailing 45-42. But TCNJ went on a 19-5 run to start the second period, building a comfortable 17-point lead. The lead was as high as 19 when Muhlenberg began chipping away with just under three minutes remaining. Freshman Rob Berish sparked a 14-2 run by finding senior Peter Barnes for a layup and then connecting on two layups of his own. Senior Brian Frankoski hit a layup and, after two missed Lion free throws, drew a foul and went 1-for-2 from the line. Senior Ryan Foster then scored five points in the span of five seconds, hitting a layup with 45 seconds to play and nailing a triple off the inbounds pass after an offensive foul. Foster’s trey made it 87-80, but that was as close as the Mules would get. TCNJ went 6-for-6 from the line the rest of the way to seal the victory. Barnes posted his second straight double-double, as he netted 13 points and pulled down a game-best 15 rebounds. Sophomore Spencer Liddic narrowly missed a double-double of his own, as he scored 15 points and grabbed nine boards. Senior Obi Nwizugbo led the Mules with 16 points to go along with eight rebounds, and Foster also scored in double figures with 14 points. Berish added a career-best 12 points. Click here for box score. Click here for complete stats.

A junior did the “Cook”-ing and a sophomore added the gravy as the Muhlenberg women’s basketball headed into Thanksgiving break with a satisfied stomach thanks to a 70-64 win at McDaniel in its Centennial Conference opener.

The 18th-ranked Mules have

O’Malley’s 14 points came on 5-of-8 shooting and were two off her career high. She scored eight points in the first 4:23, helping stake Muhlenberg to a 12-3 lead, its biggest of the game.

now won 23 straight games against CC opponents. Last year, their closest call en route to a perfect league season was a one-point overtime win at McDaniel, with the winning points coming on two free throws with 1.7 seconds left. This one didn’t have quite that ending, but it was plenty close.

Junior Sheila Cook led four Muhlenberg players in double figures with 18 points, including 12 in the second half. Six of her points came in an 8-0 run midway through the second half that came right after McDaniel (0-3, 0-1) had taken its first lead of the game, at 49-47. Junior Kelly McKeon scored the other two points with a steal and layup.

Clinging to a 64-62 lead with less than three minutes to play, Muhlenberg got a big basket from sophomore Alexandra Chili, who swished a wide-open three-pointer from the right wing – after an offensive rebound by Cook – for her only three of the game. It was reminiscent of last year’s game at Johns Hopkins, where Chili struggled with her long-range shot but made her lone three in the closing minutes to thwart a comeback bid.

Cook’s jumper after a turnover extended the lead to an insurmountable seven.

Cook, who scored a career-high 26 points against McDaniel in a CC semifinal game last year, also pulled down a team-high seven rebounds and blocked two shots.

McKeon and senior Kaitlyn O’Malley finished with 14 points apiece, with McKeon adding seven assists, five rebounds and five steals. Chili had 12 points, and freshman Alita Zabrecky scored a career-high eight.
Click here for box socre.
Click here for complete stats.