Box Score | Photo Gallery (David Sinclair)

GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Alita Zabrecky scored on a lay-up with 5.4 seconds left and Gettysburg College's last-second shot attempt was off the mark, giving ninth-ranked Muhlenberg College a thrilling 60-59 decision over the 21st-ranked Bullets in Centennial Conference women's basketball action inside Bream Gym Thursday night.

Gettysburg (13-1, 8-1 CC) saw its program-record start to a season and the second-longest winning streak in school history come to a halt Thursday night as Muhlenberg (8-2, 7-1 CC) overcame a late second-half deficit and a season-high 25 points from Bullets junior Caitlin Moser (Wyomissing, Pa./Wyomissing).

Trailing 59-55 with 2:11 on the clock, the Mules turned in the game's final five points starting with a jumper by Zabrecky and a free throw by Sheila Cook to cut the deficit to one (59-58) with 72 seconds to play. Gettysburg had two opportunities to pad the lead in the final minute, but both of its shot attempts were off the mark, opening the door for Muhlenberg.

The visitor's final play started with 16 seconds on the clock and nearly ended a moment later when Moser tipped the ball away from Zabrecky. The Mules recovered the ball and dumped it down to Cook in the low block who found a wide-open Zabrecky under the basket.

After a timeout, the Bullets put the ball in the hands of speedster Mary Spicer (Floral Park, N.Y./Sacred Heart Academy) who ran coast-to-coast and put up a shot just before the final horn sounded. The attempt was just off the mark, missing off the back side of the rim.

The Bullets led for the majority of the game, opening with the first six points and taking a 29-19 advantage following a three-pointer by sophomore Julie McGrory (Moorestown, N.J./Moorestown) with 2:46 before the break. Muhlenberg seized the momentum to close the stanza, netting nine of the final 10 points to pull to 30-28.

After a pair of ties to start the final period, Gettysburg scored back-to-back-to-back buckets to reclaim a six-point lead (38-32) at 16:23. The Mules came charging back with a 10-2 run, capped by a three-pointer by Kate Clawson which gave the visitors their first lead of the night 42-40. The lead exchanged hands seven times over the course of the final 12 minutes of play, ending with Zabrecky's lay-up.

Gettysburg's defense was once again stout, holding Muhlenberg to 33.3 percent shooting from the field (20-of-60), including just 2-of-17 from long distance. The Mules, however, owned a 45-41 advantage on the boards and converted 18-of-26 free throws, while the hosts canned 12-of-22 attempts from the charity stripe.

Moser's point total beat her season high by one and pushed her into ninth on the Bullets' all-time list with 1,035, just 13 behind Jen Dravis '98 in eighth (1,048). She finished 10-of-22 from the field and 5-of-6 at the free throw line, in addition to posting eight rebounds and two blocks.

McGrory finished with nine points off the bench and senior Courtney Fields (Baltimore, Md./St. Paul's School for Girls) tallied five points and nine rebounds. Fields is now just 13 points shy of the 1,000-point mark for her career.

Cook led Muhlenberg with 18 points, while Zabrecky and Alexandra Chili each contributed 13. Zabrecky notched a double-double with a game-high 10 boards and McKeon turned in nine points and eight rebounds.

The Bullets return to action on Wednesday, Jan. 20, with a home doubleheader against McDaniel College. The women will start the night at 6 p.m. followed by the men at about 8. The Orange & Blue Club will be sponsoring the event and will give the first 200 students that wear orange and show their ID card a free t-shirt, in addition to handing out prizes later in the evening.