Schittino Scores Game-High 18 Points in Victory

CHESTERTOWN, MD – Host Washington College got a game-high 18 points from sophomore guard Sal Schittino (Baltimore, MD/Loyola Blakefield) as the Shoremen downed visiting Muhlenberg, 65-58, on Saturday afternoon in Centennial Conference men's basketball action at the Cain Athletic Center. The Shoremen improve to 7-5 overall and 5-3 in the Centennial, while the Mules fall to 8-6 and 6-2 respectively. Washington has won six of the last seven at home tilts against Muhlenberg.

Muhlenberg led 38-31 with 15:48 left in the second half following two free throws by Spencer Liddic when Washington scored 14 straight points to take a lead they would never relinquish at 45-38 with 10:18 to go. The run began with a free throw by senior forward Alan Kines (Towson, MD/Towson) to cut the Mules' lead to 38-32 with 13:55 left. WC would tie the contest at 38-38 on a jumper by senior guard Andrew Chambers (Williamsport, MD/St. Maria Goretti) with 12:06 remaining. The hosts would take the lead for keeps on a three-point basket by sophomore guard/forward Kevin Breslin (Hagerstown, MD/St. Maria Goretti) with 11:20 left in the contest. The run was capped by on a fast-break layup by senior guard Scott Hampton (Colts Neck, NJ/Colts Neck) after Hampton had picked off a Muhlenberg pass.

Following two free throws by Liddic that reduced the WC lead to 49-43 with 7:31 to go, the Shoremen went on a 13-7 run to push the lead to 62-50 with 3:12 to go on a trifecta by Schittino. The Mules would cut it to six points at 62-56 with 1:23 left on a Brian Frankoski free throw, but would draw no closer and the Shoremen picked up their third victory in five days. Washington topped Dickinson, 59-55, on Tuesday night on the road and scored a 68-63 overtime win at #11 Franklin & Marshall on Thursday evening.

In the first half, Washington led 28-23 with 2:29 to go in the frame following a triple by Schittino. The Mules cut the deficit to 28-26 with 1:47 to go on a three by Ryan Foster and took the lead at 29-28 with 44 ticks left in the first on a traditional three-point play by Obi Nwizugbo as he scored on a jumper, was fouled and netted the free throw. Muhlenberg would take a 29-28 lead into the break.

In the second half, the Mules scored seven straight points to begin the half and took a 36-28 lead on a Frankoski layup with 18:19 to go in the game that concluded a stretch of 13 consecutive points by Muhlenberg. After a three-point bucket by Schittino snapped the streak to cut the visitors' lead to 36-31 with 16:04 to go, Liddic increased the lead to seven at 38-31 with 15:48 remaining on two from the charity stripe.

For the Shoremen, Breslin added 16 points, going 7-for-8 from the line, and grabbed a team-best five rebounds. Sophomore guard Doug Holcombe (Medford, NJ/Shawnee) handed out a game-leading four assists, while Hampton tallied four steals to lead all players.

For the Mules, both Foster and Liddic tallied double-doubles in the contest. Foster scored a team-best 15 points and totaled 10 rebounds, while Liddic netted 11 points and led all players with 18 boards. Nwizugbo scored 10 points for Muhlenberg, who held a commanding 47-24 edge on the glass.

Muhlenberg committed 31 turnovers in the game, compared to just 10 for Washington. The Shoremen turned those 31 miscues into 27 points, while the Mules garnered 15 points off of the 10 Shoremen mistakes.

Washington held the edge in points in the paint (18-16), fast-break points (6-0) and bench points (30-21), while Muhlenberg outscored Washington in second chance points by an 8-2 margin.

Muhlenberg shot just 36%, while Washington shot 34% from the floor. On the line, both teams shot well with Muhlenberg going 24-for-27 for an 89% clip, while Washington was 84% from the stripe going 16-for-19.

The Shoremen return to action on Wednesday night against visiting Johns Hopkins in Centennial action. Tip-off is at 8:00 p.m.