Box Score

ALLENTOWN, Pa. – Junior Courtney Fields (Baltimore, Md./St. Paul's School for Girls) scored all 17 of her points in the second half, including connecting on a career-high five three-pointers, to help Gettysburg College take a three-point advantage with just over 17 minutes to go in its Centennial Conference showdown at Muhlenberg College. The nationally-ranked Mules weathered the offensive show by Fields, however, and responded with a 22-4 run over an eight-minute stretch in the final period to grab a 69-56 victory on Saturday afternoon.

Muhlenberg (9-2, 6-0 CC), ranked 23rd (tie) in the latest USA Today ESPN Division III Coaches Poll, claimed its fourth-straight victory over Gettysburg (6-6, 3-2 CC) and avenged a 71-57 loss to the Bullets in Memorial Hall early last season. The Mules maintained the advantage for most of the first half, leading by as many as six, and entered halftime with a 20-17 advantage.

After playing just six minutes due to foul trouble in the opening half, Fields turned a three-point halftime deficit around with back-to-back three-pointers to start the final stanza, giving the Bullets a 23-20 advantage in the first 53 seconds of the final period. The visitors maintained the lead over the next couple minutes as freshmen Mary Spicer (Floral Park, N.Y./Sacred Heart Academy) and Julie McGrory (Moorestown, N.J./Moorestown) each connected on a pair of free throws, the latter pair giving Gettysburg a 27-24 margin at 17:04.

Lauren Boyle brought the Mules back with a jumper at 16:45, fueling an 8-0 run. A pair of lay-ups by freshman Sara Kinsley (Fairfield, Conn./Fairfield Ludlowe) stemmed the tide and pulled the Bullets back to within three (34-31) at 13:07, but Muhlenberg continued the push, adding another dozen points before the next Gettysburg bucket. Sophomore Caitlin Moser (Wyomissing, Pa./Wyomissing) cut the deficit to single-digits twice in the final eight minutes before the Mules jumped back ahead with their largest lead of the day at 62-45 with four minutes remaining.

Statlines for both teams were near-identical, with Muhlenberg holding a slight edge on the glass (35-31) and in field goal percentage (41.2-40.4). The Mules primary advantage came at the charity stripe where they converted 25-of-30 attempts, compared to nine makes by the visitors.

Fields finished 5-of-8 from the field, all from long-range, adding four rebounds. Her five threes topped her previous personal best by one and made her the seventh Bullet in school history to convert 100 in a career.

Moser poured in a dozen points for Gettysburg and ripped down a team-best eight rebounds. Kinsley and junior Allie Drechsler (Westminster, Md./Winters Mill) each added six points, while Spicer tacked on four points, six rebounds, and six assists.

Muhlenberg was led by Alexandra Chili's 16 points. Boyle added a dozen points and eight boards, while Kelly McKeon 13 points and a game-high nine rebounds. Sheila Cook led the Mule bench with 14 and four rebounds in 18 minutes of action.

Gettysburg has a busy week ahead with three conference contests in five days, beginning with a road trip to Johns Hopkins University on Tuesday, Jan. 13, at 6 p.m.