ALLENTOWN, Pa. – Senior Jessica Porter (Narberth, Pa./Lower Merion) scored 15 of her 20 points in the second half, but it wasn't enough to lift Gettysburg past 21st-ranked Muhlenberg as the Mules held on for an 81-72 victory inside Memorial Hall.
Gettysburg (3-2, 1-2 CC) came out strong after the opening tip with four players scoring points during a 10-2 run to start the game. Muhlenberg (6-0, 3-0 CC) quickly recovered and ended the first quarter with its own 10-2 spurt to tie the contest 15-15.
The Mules broke the game open in the second quarter behind sophomore Brandi Vallely. Muhlenberg pumped in 29 points in the quarter with Vallely having a hand in all but nine tallies thanks to a pair of lay-ups and seven assists. The hosts led by as many as 17 in the quarter before settling on a 44-34 lead at halftime.
The Bullets slowly chipped away at the lead with back-to-back buckets by Porter cutting the deficit to five (56-51) with 2:33 to play in the third period. Muhlenberg's lead stood at 59-52 entering the final quarter.
Gettysburg trimmed the deficit down to five twice in the final period, but the Mules answered each time. After a pair of free throws by Emily Duggan (Marmora, N.J./Ocean City) pulled the Bullets to 70-65, Christina Manning knocked down a three-pointer to boost the lead back to eight.
Porter hit a jump shot with a minute remaining to trim the margin to six points at 76-70. Muhlenberg sealed the win by going 5-of-6 from the free throw line down the stretch.
Porter finished 7-of-17 from the floor and 3-of-4 from the free throw line on the way to her second 20-point outing of the season. She also grabbed seven rebounds and blocked a pair of shots. Duggan turned in her second double-double of the season with 14 points and 11 rebounds and she dished out a career-high tying six assists. Freshman Emma Dorshimer (Jenkintown, Pa./Jenkintown) continued her hot streak with 19 points, marking her third consecutive outing with 18 or more. Senior Kim Ryan (Garden City, N.Y./Garden City) added nine points and eight assists.
Five players finished in double-figures for Muhlenberg. Manning led the way with a game-high 25 points. Vallely tied her own Centennial Conference record with 15 assists and added 11 points and seven rebounds. Rachel Plotke posted 17 points, while Chelsea Gary and Christina Santone produced 15 and 13 points, respectively.
Gettysburg caps the first semester by hosting Shenandoah University for a non-conference tilt on Wednesday, Dec. 9, at 7 p.m.