Men's Basketball Shoots to Third Straight
Hot shooting led the Muhlenberg men's basketball team to its third straight win, 80-62 at home vs. Penn State Harrisburg.
The Mules (3-2) made 17 three-pointers, one short of the school record, and shot 54.8 percent from beyond the arc. Eight different Muhlenberg players made threes.
Sophomore Peter Stanton-Shepherd scored a career-high 19 points on the strength of 5-of-6 three-point shooting. Senior Giovanni Rubino was 3-for-4 on threes en route to scoring 15 points to go along with 7 rebounds and 8 assists (with only one turnover).
Four other Mules scored 8 or 9 points, including senior Luke Gordos (pictured above).
The Lions (1-3), who reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament last year, scored the first five points of the game and led 7-5 before Muhlenberg scored eight straight points, including consecutive threes by Stanton-Shepherd and senior Charlie Gillikin, to take the lead for good.
A three-pointer by freshman Arinze Achufusi with 4:24 left in the half gave the Mules their first double-digit lead. Ahead 34-23 with two minutes to go in the half, Muhlenberg scored 11 points on its final four possessions, with Stanton-Shepherd hitting one three and Rubino connecting on two, to open up a 20-point margin.
Penn State Harrisburg turned up the defensive pressure at the start of the second half but never got closer than 16. That came midway through the half, and the Mules responded with a 10-0 run in a two-minute span to take their biggest lead at 26 points. Sophomore Elias Sherman-Murphy netted 5 of his 9 points in the run.
Sophomore Gavin D'Iorio pulled down 7 rebounds and blocked 3 shots.
Two of Muhlenberg's next three games are also against teams the played in the NCAA Tournament last year.
Latest Top Stories Feed
- Women's Basketball Runs Away in Second HalfThe Muhlenberg women's basketball team outscored Eastern 36-12 in the second half to pull away for a 62-36 win in its home opener.
- Twelve Earn All-Conference in FootballTwelve Muhlenberg players - six repeaters and six first-timers - were recognized on the All-Centennial Conference football team.
- Plays of the Week November 19, 2024Top plays in basketball, football and wrestling.
- Football to Host Widener in Bowl GameFor the 20th time in the last 24 postseasons, the Muhlenberg football team is headed to the postseason.
- Successful Debut for Women's Wrestling TeamThe debut of women's wrestling as a varsity sport at Muhlenberg was a resounding success.
- McClaine Named Player of the WeekMuhlenberg junior Marcus McClaine was named Centennial Conference football defensive player of the week.