women’s basketball handles with care

It isn’t hard to get a handle on why the Muhlenberg women’s basketball team is enjoying a successful season.

Through Sunday’s games, the 15-5 Mules were ranked fourth out of 425 Division III schools in assist-to-turnover ratio. They have 331 assists to only 297 turnovers, a ratio of 1.11. Illinois Wesleyan leads the country with a 1.25 ratio.

Muhlenberg also is 10th in Division III in fewest turnovers per game (14.9).

In their most recent game, the Mules committed only eight turnovers – the fewest in the Centennial Conference this season – in a 69-51 win at McDaniel.

Five Muhlenberg players have assist-to-turnover ratios of better than 1.50, including senior Abra Like (left), who has recorded 44 assists and only 27 turnovers.

The men’s team also appears among the statistical leaders in an important category. The Mules are 24th in Division III in field-goal percentage defense (.399). They have held their opponent under 40-percent shooting in all but one of their nine wins. That includes Saturday’s key victory, when Muhlenberg allowed McDaniel to make only 31.1 percent of its shots.