ALLENTOWN, Pa. – Muhlenberg connected on three of its four free throw attempts in the final 12 seconds to defeat No. 8 Franklin & Marshall 60-58 in Centennial Conference (CC) men's basketball action. The Diplomats fell to 19-2, 12-2 CC while the Mules improved to 14-7, 8-6 CC.
Georgio Milligan hit two from the stripe with 2:07 remaining in the game to bring F&M within a point, 55-54. Milligan hit two more from line seconds later, and gave the Diplomats a 55-54 edge at 1:51, before Austin Curry hit two of his own from the foul line to put the Mules back up, 57-56, at 1:31.
The teams traded turnovers and F&M got the ball back with 20 seconds remaining with the score still at 57-56. Milligan turned the ball over and Hunter Forsman hit the backend of his free throws to put Muhlenberg up two, 58-56, with 12 seconds remaining. A turnover on F&M's next possession led to Curry hitting two more from the line and a 60-56 Muhlenberg lead with four seconds on the clock. Ed Earlyscored with one second remaining for the 60-58 final.
Both teams traded baskets to start out the game resulting in a 6-6 tie four minutes into the first half. Muhlenberg pulled ahead with an 11-2 run to take a 17-8 lead at 13:08. The Mules went up 22-14 before F&M countered with an 11-2 run of its own to take a 25-24 lead with 5:55 remaining in the half. The teams traded points through the final five minutes of action and Matt Porter hit a layup with two seconds left in the half to knot the game at 31 at halftime.
The second half was a battle as neither team took more than a four-point edge. F&M went up 49-46 at 5:43, but the Mules quickly answered and took a 52-50 lead with 4:23 left to play. Porter's jumper at 3:59 tied the game at 52, but Matt O'Hara drained a three seconds later to put Muhlenberg up 55-52, which set up the final two minutes of action.
Milligan finished with a game-high 15 points and pulled down eight boards. Early tallied 10 points with eight rebounds and Porter finished with eight points.
Spencer Liddic picked up a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds to pace the Mules. Malique Killing scored 12 and Curry ended with 10 points.
F&M returns to action on Wednesday when the Diplomats host Gettysburg at 8:00 p.m.
MUHLENBERG 60, FRANKLIN & MARSHALL 58
FRANKLIN & MARSHALL (19-2 (12-2 CC))
Georgio Milligan 3-17 8-9 15; Ed Early 4-7 2-4 10; Matt Porter 4-9 0-0 8; Max Brewer 3-3 0-0 7; Hayk Gyokchyan 3-6 0-0 6; Brandon Beckford 3-5 0-0 6; Jon Salandra 2-6 0-0 4; Morgan Lee 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 23-55 10-13 58.
MUHLENBERG (14-7 (8-6 CC))
Spencer Liddic 6-12 2-4 14; Malique Killing 5-14 2-2 12; Austin Curry 2-10 4-4 10; Gabriel Mercer 2-4 3-4 9; Hunter Forsman 4-7 1-2 9; Matt O'Hara 2-3 0-0 6; James Albano 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 21-51 12-16 60.
Franklin & Marshall........... 31 27 - 58
Muhlenberg.................... 31 29 - 60
3-point goals--Franklin & Marshall 2-8 (Georgio Milligan 1-5; Max Brewer 1-1; Hayk Gyokchyan 0-2), Muhlenberg 6-12 (Austin Curry 2-5; Matt O'Hara 2-3; Gabriel Mercer 2-3; Malique Killing 0-1).
Fouled out--Franklin & Marshall-Georgio Milligan, Muhlenberg-None.
Rebounds--Franklin & Marshall 35 (Georgio Milligan 8; Ed Early 8), Muhlenberg 30 (Spencer Liddic 12).
Assists--Franklin & Marshall 15 (Georgio Milligan 4; Jon Salandra 4), Muhlenberg 11 (Austin Curry 3; Malique Killing 3).
Total fouls--Franklin & Marshall 18, Muhlenberg 12.
Technical fouls: Franklin & Marshall-None, Muhlenberg-None.
A-479