Box Score

GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Muhlenberg missed four straight free throws inside the final 22 seconds, but two key offensive rebounds allowed the Mules to hold on for a 62-58 victory over Gettysburg Saturday afternoon in Centennial Conference men's basketball action in Bream Gymnasium.

Muhlenberg (12-8, 8-6 CC), which had taken the lead for good with 1:31 left, was attempting to protect a two-point lead when junior guard Ryan Foster was sent to the line with 22 seconds left, Foster, a 86.7% free throw shooter coming into the game, missed both shots in the double bonus situation, but junior guard Zachary Rosenberg corralled the offensive rebound on the right baseline. Rosenberg was then sent to the line, but after going 0-for-2, he charged down the lane, tapped the ball into the air, and chased down the loose ball on the left wing.

Gettysburg (14-6, 9-5 CC) fouled senior guard Mike Bernardini with 13 ticks showing, and the third time was the charm for the Mules, as Bernardini hit both shots to make it 62-58. Senior guard Corey Dorsey (Frederick, Md./St. John's at Prospect Hall) missed an off-balance three-pointer seconds before the buzzer, and a Kevin Kennedy (Gaithersburg, Md./Quince Orchard) tip-in was off the mark as the Bullets lost back-to-back games at home for the first time since Dec. 5-9, 2006.

Junior center Peter Barnes and Foster led the Mules with a pair of double-doubles. Barnes notched game-highs of 22 points and 12 rebounds while Foster added 11 points and 12 boards. Bernardini added 10 points off the bench and was 8-for-8 at the foul line.

Senior guard Dan Capkin (Wynnewood, Pa./Lower Merion) paced Gettysburg with 17 points and a career-high five steals while sophomore center Andrew Powers (Boyertown, Pa./Boyertown) added 16 points and eight rebounds. Dorsey scored 10 of his 12 points in the first half and is now 14 points away from becoming the program's 22nd 1,000-point scorer.

The game was No. 505 at Gettysburg for Head Coach George Petrie, who passed Hen Bream (1927-55) for the most games coached in program history.

The loss snapped Gettysburg's 30-game winning streak when leading at halftime. The Bullets had not lost when leading at the half since their 85-73 setback to Ursinus two years ago today.

Gettysburg remains in third place in the Centennial Conference standings but falls 2.5 games behind first-place Franklin & Marshall, which was hosting Washington (Md.) late Saturday afternoon. Muhlenberg pulled a half game in front of Washington for fourth place and now trails the Bullets by only one game.

Muhlenberg, which entered the week with the nation's sixth-ranked field-goal percentage defense (38.2), held the Bullets to a season-low 31.1 percent mark from the field. The Mules were also 17th nationally in rebound margin (+6.8) and held a 47-30 advantage on the glass.

Muhlenberg led for the opening seven minutes, but the Bullets used an elongated 14-4 run that spanned 7:30 to take their largest lead of the game, 25-18, when Dorsey threw down a wide-open dunk on a backdoor cut with 5:21 on the clock. Barnes pulled the Mules to within three at the half when he knocked down a pair of foul shots with 39 seconds left.

Gettysburg was held to 25.0 percent shooting in the first half, but they committed eight fewer turnovers (13-5) over the opening 20 minutes.

A 9-0 run early in the second half gave the Mules a 32-28 lead, and they led by as much as eight (45-37) after a Barnes jumper with 9:46 to go. However, the Bullets got right back into it with a quick 8-0 spurt, as Capkin buried a pair of three-pointers around a Chip Naddaff (Randolph, N.J./Randolph) lay-up, tying the game with 8:28 to go.

Powers gave Gettysburg its final lead (51-50) on a lay-up with 4:16 remaining. Kennedy tied it 54-54 when he knocked down a straightaway trey with 2:01 left, but Barnes put his team in front to stay when he banked in a jumper with 1:31 showing.

Muhlenberg twice pushed its lead to four inside the final minute, but a pair of Capkin free throws followed by a soaring Dorsey lay-up with 23 seconds left kept Gettysburg within two, setting up a wild finish.

Gettysburg hits the road on Wednesday, when it visits Johns Hopkins University in another Centennial Conference match-up starting at 7 p.m.