Box Score

GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Gettysburg overcame a second-half deficit as large as 15 points to take a 53-51 lead with 2:44 to play, but an 11-2 Muhlenberg run over the final 2:26 gave the Mules a 62-55 win in Centennial Conference (CC) play on Saturday at Bream Gymnasium.

Muhlenberg (15-3, 10-3 CC) got 16 points each from sophomore forward Lauren Boyle and senior center Meghan Courtney, while the Bullets (11-8, 8-4 CC) had three double-digit scorers. Senior captain Katie Reilly (Ridgewood, N.J./Ridgewood) tallied her third-consecutive double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds. Junior guard Megan Hartman (Lewistown, Pa./Indian Valley) came off the bench to tie for the team high with 11 points. She added four rebounds, five assists and a season-high six steals. Freshman forward Courtney Fields (Baltimore, Md./St. Paul's School for Girls) also had 11 points.

The Mules, who opened the second half with a 32-23 lead, got their largest lead of the game at the 15:03 mark courtesy of a Courtney free thrown that made the score 44-29. Hartman nailed a 3-pointer for Gettysburg at the other end before Boyle made a jumper that got the lead back to 14 points at 46-32 with 14:25 to play.

Following a flurry of turnovers by each squad, Bullets' freshman forward Ali Goldsmith (Farmingdale, N.J./Howell) and sophomore guard Margaret White (Burke, Va./James W. Robinson) buried 3-pointers on successive trips down the floor to kick off a 13-0 run over a 5:27 span that pulled the home team within one. The Gettysburg defense stepped up with three blocks, two by Reilly, and two steals during the run.

Muhlenberg sophomore forward Erin McSherry snapped the Bullet streak with a jumper at the 7:02 mark. The sides traded buckets, putting the Mules up by three points again, but Fields converted a traditional three-point play at the 4:17 mark to tie the game at 50-50 and draw Gettysburg even for the first time since the opening tip-off.

Boyle made 1-of-2 from the line 15 seconds later, a feat that was matched by Bullet freshman forward Nicole Dobranski (Albertson, N.Y./Kellenberg Memorial) with under three minutes left. Dobranski missed the second one, but Reilly was there for the rebound and the put-back, giving Gettysburg a 53-51 lead. Mules' sophomore guard Kaitlin Stumph made a basket on the next trip down the floor to tie it again before Fields made two foul shots, edging the Bullets ahead by two.

Junior guard Abra Like converted both free throws for the final tie of the game, and following a Gettysburg turnover, Strumph hit a jump shot that put the visitors ahead for good. Muhlenberg hit 5-of-6 free throws in the last minute to seal the victory.

The Bullets started slowly, falling behind the Mules by as many as 12 points at 20-8 with just under nine minutes to play before halftime. They recovered to keep Muhlenberg in sight at the break, and both sides would shoot substantially better from the floor in the second half.

Gettysburg will be back in action on Tuesday as the Bullets continue a three-game home stand against Centennial Conference foe Franklin & Marshall. The two teams met on Nov. 21, with Gettysburg taking a 70-55 decision. Game time is set for 7 p.m.