On a day devoted to love, the Muhlenberg women’s basketball team had plenty to cherish following its 74-61 Valentine’s Day win at Dickinson.

Senior Stephanie Coluccini had seven points, nine rebounds and a team-high four assists.

The 17th-ranked Mules (21-2, 14-2) tied the school record for wins in a season and remained a half-game out of first place in the Centennial Conference behind Johns Hopkins, an overtime winner at Gettysburg. Muhlenberg clinched at worst the No. 2 seed for the CC playoffs and can secure the top seed – and homecourt advantage – by winning its final two games.

And the win gave the Mules a season sweep of the defending CC regular-season champions, this one on the road against a Red Devil (17-6, 13-4) squad that was missing one of its captains when the teams met earlier this season.

Although the score was much higher (74-61 vs. 53-30), the rematch followed a similar pattern as the first game, with Muhlenberg opening up a double-digit margin by halftime and holding off Dickinson second-half runs.

The Mules, who trailed only once (3-2), broke a 16-all tie with 8:37 left in the half when freshman Bethany Enterline made the first of two free throws after fighting for a defensive rebound. Junior Meghan Courtney rebounded the missed foul shot and hit a short jumper to put Muhlenberg up, 19-16.

Rebounding would play an important role throughout the game, as the Mules enjoyed a 45-28 advantage on the boards.

Muhlenberg held a 21-20 lead before going on a 10-0 run to close out the half, holding the Red Devils scoreless for the final 6:32. Freshman Lauren Boyle hit a pair of back-to-back baskets, and Enterline made a jumper with the shot clock running down, then drew a charge.

In the first game, the Mules led 20-7 at halftime, only to have Dickinson score the first nine points of the second half. It looked like Muhlenberg might led another big lead dwindle, as the Red Devils used their running game to close to within seven early in the second half.

That’s when Boyle took over. She scored eight straight points to give the Mules their largest lead, at 41-26. Boyle finished the game with a career-high 25 points, tying the most by a Muhlenberg player this year.

“I think the key was that when they scored, we came right back down and scored,” said senior Kristen Piscadlo, who scored a season-high 18 points.

Dickinson got as close as six, 47-41, at the 10-minute mark, but Piscadlo hit a three-pointer and drew a charge on a fast break, and the Mules were soon up by double digits again.

Courtney had 12 points and 12 rebounds for her seventh double-double of the season. She also blocked three shots, helping to hold the Red Devils’ top scorer to eight points on 4-of-12 shooting.

Click here for box score.