Brown Scores Game High 18; Marshall Adds 16

ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Host Muhlenberg survived a second half rally from visiting Washington College and held on for a 79-73 win in a Centennial Conference men's basketball game played tonight at Memorial Hall in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Muhlenberg 79, Washington College 73

How It Happened
- The teams were tied 4-4 following a layup from Daniel Brown before Muhlenberg went on a 9-3 run to grab a 15-7 lead with 12:50 to go in the opening half after a jumper from Matt Gnias.
- A layup from Dan Gaines gave the Mules their first double digit lead of the game at 25-15 with 7:35 to go in the half.
- The lead grew to a dozen points for the first time at 31-19 with 5:41 left until the break following a three pointer from Michael Morreale.
- The lead for Muhlenberg sat at 33-21 before Washington ran off six straight points to cut the lead to 33-27 following a layup from Tray Wright with 3:15 left in the half.
- The Mules, however, would respond with a 6-0 run of their own to push the lead back up to 12 at 39-27 with 2:02 left until the break after a layup from Justin Allen.
- Three free throws from Alec Lewis, one with 37 seconds to go and the other two with 0.5 seconds to go, would cut the lead to 39-30 at the halftime break. Muhlenberg built their halftime lead on the strength of 58.6% shooting from the floor.
- The Shoremen started the second half with a 17-7 run to take a 47-46 lead with 11:42 to go following a layup from Wright.
- Muhlenberg responded by going on a 8-0 run to retake the lead for good at 54-47 with 10:20 to play after a traditional three point play from Gnias.
- A pair of free throws from Lewis with 7:47 to play cut the lead down to four at 61-57, but the Mules pushed the lead right back up to eight at 65-57 following a traditional three point play from Gaines with 6:53 to play.
- Derrick Carter came in off the bench and knocked down two straight threes to cut the lead to 65-63 with 5:29 left, but Muhlenberg again responded with baskets from Nate Henty Brown and Gaines to push the lead back up to 69-63 with 4:29 to go.
- Washington would miss four straight free throws before Austin Allen knocked one down to cut the lead to 69-64, but a three pointer from Dallas Hoffman on the next possession pushed the lead to 72-64 with 3:09 to play.
- A three from Logan Bunch and a jumper from Carter, sandwiched around a pair of free throws from Hoffman, set the score at 74-69 in favor of the Mules with 2:08 left.
- Another free throw from Hoffman, and then a dunk from Morreale extended the lead back to eight at 77-69 with 1:24 to play.
- Brown would hit a layup on the next trip down the floor to cut the lead to 77-71 with 1:09 to go.
- Muhlenberg ran down the clock and Gaines would miss a three with 37 seconds to go. Carter got the rebound for Washington, but would miss a three pointer from the top of the arc with 27 seconds left. Morreale got the rebound and was fouled, but missed both free throws. Wright got the rebound for the Shoremen, but Washington would miss two shots on the next possession and the Mules would get the rebound.
- Henty Brown hit a pair of free throws to seal the win, with Brown adding a dunk with less than a second to play to provide the final margin.

For the Shoremen (5-11 Overall, 3-6 Centennial Conference)
- Brown (game best 18 points, game high tying eight rebounds), Marshall (16 points, game high tying eight rebounds), Carter (11 points), Wright (two steals).
- The Shoremen shot 40.3% (25-for-62) from the floor in the loss, 33.3% (7-for-21) from three point range, and just 58.3% (14-for-24) at the free throw line.
- Washington held a 42-35 advantage in rebounding and a 20-9 advantage in second chance points.

For Muhlenberg (12-4 Overall, 5-4 Centennial Conference)
- Gaines (15 points, game high five assists), Gnias (13 points, two steals), Henty Brown (12 points, two steals), Hoffman (11 points), Noah Watson (10 points), Morreale (game high two blocks).
- The Mules shot 50% (29-for-58) from the floor in the win, 23.5% (4-for-17) from three point range, and 68% (17-for-25) at the free throw line.
- Muhlenberg only turned the ball over eight times, while forcing just 11 Washington turnovers, and held a 46-20 advantage in points in the paint.

Up Next for the Shoremen
1/25 v. Dickinson - 4:00 p.m. (Centennial Conference game).
- The Shoremen clinched a playoff spot on the last day of the regular season last year with a 96-79 win over the Red Devils in the season finale, their first home win against Dickinson since February 8th, 2010.
- Saturday will also be Alumni Day for the men's and women's basketball teams, with the men's alumni game taking place at noon.