ALLENTOWN, Pa – Megan Pauley scored 13 of her team-high 20 points in the second half, nine of which came in the last four minutes, to lift Franklin & Marshall over Muhlenberg, 59-54, in Centennial Conference (CC) women's basketball action Saturday. The Diplomats improved to 15-6, 12-4 (CC) and now take over sole possession of second place in the CC, while the Mules fell to 15-5, 10-5 (CC).
With ten minutes left in the game, Alexa Barbush sank a pair of free-throws to equalize the score at 39-39. There were four lead changes over the next five minutes as the sides exchanged multiple baskets. Pauley got things going for F&M as she put the Diplomats up for good, 48-47, with four minutes left to play. The senior was 6 for 6 from the field down the stretch and 3 for 4 from the free-throw line en route to the F&M victory.
In the closing minute of the game the Diplomats went 6 for 8 from the free-throw line. Allison Bauer, Pauley, and Kristina McCarthy each tallied at least one make from the charity stripe to close out the win for F&M.
The Mules came out on fire in the first half, jumping out to a 14-1 lead just over six minutes into the contest. F&M responded with an 11-0 run over the next five minutes to bring the score to 14-12, at the 8:36 mark. Muhlenberg maintained its lead throughout the remainder of the half, but the Diplomats pulled within one after Elizabeth Snyder drained a three-pointer just before the break, 30-29.
In the second frame each team traded buckets back and forth with no one taking control of the game. F&M took its first lead just over a minute into the second half when Megan Pauley hit a jumper to put the Diplomats up by one, 31-30. The next time down the court the Mules tied the game off of a made free-throw, 31-31. After an F&M turnover, Muhlenberg retook the lead at 16:30 as Katy Rossino converted a jumper. The Mules held a slight advantage over the next six minutes before Barbush's made free-throws to even the score.
In addition to her 20 points, Pauley also brought down seven rebounds, while Snyder also reached double-figures with 13 points. McCarthy tallied eight points and a game-high 11 rebounds, while Barbush added nine points in the win.
Muhlenberg's Alexandra Chili posted a game-high 28 points, while Alita Zabrecky added nine points and grabbed 10 boards in the loss.
F&M returns to the court on Wednesday to host Gettysburg in CC action. Tip-off is set for 6:00 pm.