Breslin Scores Team-High 22 Points

CHESTERTOWN, MD – Senior guard Kevin Breslin (Hagerstown, MD/St. Maria Goretti) had a team-best 22 points as host Washington College downed visiting Muhlenberg, 86-78, on Saturday evening at the Cain Athletic Center in Centennial Conference men's basketball action.  The Shoremen improve to 11-6 overall and 7-3 in conference action, while the Mules drop to 10-6 and 4-6 respectively.  Currently, the Shoremen stand alone in second place in the conference standings.

This is the first time the Shoremen have swept the regular-season series from the Mules as the two sides have played twice during the regular season each year since the 1993-94 campaign.

Washington led 72-69 with 2:53 left in the game following a layup by Muhlenberg's Hunter Forsman.  After a miss by the Shoremen, the ball went out of bounds off of the Mules, senior forward Adam Naymick (Hanover, PA/Delone Catholic) grabbed a tipped pass underneath the basket and netted a layup to put the hosts up 74-69 with 2:10 to go in the second half.  On Muhlenberg's next possession, junior forward Tony Hawkins (Mt. Ephraim, NJ/Haddon Township) stole the ball and went coast-to-coast, scored on the lay-in and drew the foul to make it 76-69.  He then made the free throw to make it 77-69 with 1:59 left.  The Shoremen would make two free throws to lead 79-69 with 1:22 left, when the Mules scored back-to-back baskets to trim the lead to 79-73 with 56 ticks left.  Senior guard Sal Schittino (Ellicott City, MD/Loyola Blakefield) was fouled just one second later and made one free throw to make it 80-73.  After a missed layup by the Mules, Naymick sank two free throws to make it 82-73 with 43 seconds left.  Malique Killing answered with a lay-in to trim the WC lead to 82-75, but on the inbounds pass Breslin found a wide open Charlie McShane (West Deptford, NJ/West Deptford) for a layup to put WC up 84-75 with 23 seconds left.  The Mules got it within six, 84-78, with 17 seconds left on a Spencer Liddic lay-in after James Albano stole the inbounds pass following a made free throw, but Hawkins sank two free throws with 15 seconds to go to provide the final margin.

In the first half, the Mules raced out to a 7-2 lead on a three-pointer by Liddic with 15:51 to go.  Liddic scored his team's first eight points of the game.  WC would counter with a 9-1 run of its own to take an 11-8 lead with 12:33 left in the first on a Breslin jumper.  Down 24-21 with 8:59 to go in the half, the Mules went on a 10-2 run over the next 2:58 to take a 31-26 lead on a Killing transition layup with 6:01 to go after he stole a pass.  The Shoremen scored the next five points to level the game at 31-31 with 5:11 to go on a putback layup by freshman forward Mark Henry (Spring City, PA/Owen J. Roberts).  Only one field goal was made by either side in the final five minutes of the half and Muhlenberg took a 35-34 lead into halftime.

The Shoremen came out strong in the second half as they went on a 19-8 run to take a 53-43 lead with 15:14 left in the game on a Naymick jumper.  A layup by freshman guard John Weston (Atlanta, GA/Bolles School (FL) put the Shoremen up for good at 38-37 with 18:21 remaining.  Breslin would put WC up 10 for the first time with 16:03 to go on a fast-break lay-in.  The Mules would answer though with a 10-3 run of their own to trim the lead to 56-53 with 12:04 to go on a pair of free throws by Killing.  The Shoremen would score six straight points to take a 62-53 lead with 10:03 remaining on a Naymick jumper.  The hosts led 65-57 with 7:33 left following a traditional three-point play by senior forward Chris Olsen (Ellicott City, MD/Mount St. Joseph) when the visitors scored six straight points to cut the lead to 65-63 with 5:28 left in the contest on two Killing free throws.  WC would push the lead back to five on three occasions in the next two minutes, but the Mules would respond each time, as a Forsman lay-in cut the WC lead to 72-69 with 2:53 to go.

Breslin also tied for team-high in assists with six to go with his 22 points.  Joining Breslin in double figures in scoring for the hosts were Schittino with 16 points, Weston with a career-high 12 points and Hawkins and Naymick with 10 each.  Naymick also pulled down a team-best seven rebounds.  Sophomore forward Kevin Cunningham (Mt. Laurel, NJ/Lenape) had a career-high in assists with six, tying Breslin for tops on the team.  Hawkins led all players with three steals.  The Shoremen held a 45-41 edge in rebounding in the game.

Liddic had 21 points and a game-best 11 rebounds to tally a double-double for the Mules.  Killing had a game-best 25 points, while Kevin Hargove added 12 points and Austin Curry chipped in with 11 points.  Matt O'Hara handed out a game-high 10 assists.

Muhlenberg held the edge in points in the paint (42-26) and second chance-points (15-14), while Washington held the edge in points off of turnovers (16-12), fast-break points (13-12) and bench points (39-1). 

The Shoremen shot 45% from the floor, including 52% in the second half, 38% from three-point land and 71% (15-for-24) from the foul line.  The Mules shot 42% from the floor, 25% from behind the arc and 62% from the charity stripe (18-for-29).

WC returns to court on Wednesday night with an 8:00 p.m. tip-off at Ursinus in Centennial Conference action.