Wrestling, Women’s Basketball

men’s basketball gets offensive,
shoots down terror

This dunk by Barnes, off a bounce pass from Roth, gave the Mules a 64-41 lead early in the second half. Barnes had a solid game with seven points and six rebounds.

The New Hampshire primaries had a more predictable outcome than this game.

McDaniel came in undefeated in the Centennial Conference and ranked 24th in Division III in scoring defense, having held St. Mary’s 36 points under its average in its last game. Muhlenberg had struggled on offense in its last two games, scoring 50 against DeSales and 52 against Moravian.

So what happened? The Mules scored 51 points in the first half alone, shooting 72 percent from the field, and went on to an 86-54 win – their fourth straight in CC play.

Muhlenberg (6-6, 4-1) came out with a different starting lineup than it had used all year, and both new starters paid immediate dividends. Junior Darrell Roth, making his first career start, scored 17 of his career-high 19 points in the first half. He scored nine points in the first 4:20 alone, helping to stake the Mules to a 16-4 lead.

Senior Greg Pask, returning to the lineup after starting two games earlier in the season, scored 11 points and dished out a career-high four assists. He best displayed Muhlenberg’s increased energy level late in the first half when he dove for a loose ball that had been stripped from a teammate and fed sophomore Peter Barnes for an open layup.

The Mules led by 16 points at halftime, then opened the second half on a 16-6 run to take a 26-point lead, 67-41, with 13:50 left. Sophomore Ryan Foster made a pair of three-pointers in the surge and finished 5-of-6 from behind the arc for all 15 of his points.

Muhlenberg is 4-1 in the CC for the second year in a row. Last season, the team followed its 4-1 start with eight straight losses, and the Mules will try to stay on the right track beginning Saturday at Gettysburg with the first of three straight tough road games.
Click here for box score.