Pothering scored six of his 12 points on two long-range three-pointers in the first half.

The Muhlenberg men’s basketball team traveled a few miles east to DeSales University for a quick detour before leaving campus for holiday break, but they could not pull out a gift for their fans.

The Mules lost to the Bulldogs, 71-63, in a game that was evenly matched most of the way. Muhlenberg (4-5) will go into the break having lost two straight games after falling to New Jersey in triple overtime on Saturday.

Senior Jimmie Riggins posted a strong showing in the loss, recording 23 points and 11 rebounds. It was his second straight double-double. Senior Chris Pothering tied a season-high 12 points for the Mules, while senior Tom Scott added 11.

After a first half that included four ties and seven lead changes, the Mules went into halftime facing a six-point deficit. They came out of the locker room on a 15-2 run to take their biggest lead of the game at 44-37 with 13:40 remaining, but they could not hang on.

DeSales (8-2) tied the game at 46-46 with 10:10 to go, and after trading points for the next three minutes, they took the lead for good at 50-49 on a tip-in by Jeff Raimo. Muhlenberg battled hard until the final buzzer, but the effort was not enough to earn the victory.

Click here for box score.