LANCASTER, PA - Stephanie Coluccini, Lindsay Orosz, Kristen Piscaldo and Lacie Smith combined to make five-of-eight free-throws over the final 50 seconds of play as Muhlenberg College held off a rally by Franklin & Marshall to escape the Mayser Center with an 81-76 victory in Centennial Conference women's basketball.
Trailing 42-35 at halftime, the Diplomats (0-3, 0-1 Centennial Conference) saw the lead balloon to a game high 25 points at 74-49 with 7:30 left on the clock. However, F&M responded as Kim Rawson (Sr., Woodstock, NH/Plymouth) hit a lay-up to begin a 14-0 run in which point guard Dana Johns (Jr., York, PA/Prince Frederick) connected on three jumpers for six of her game high 26 points.
Leading 74-63 with 4:05 to play following a three-pointer by Maura Lentz (Sr., Baltimore, MD/Catonsville), Muhlenberg (3-0, 1-0 Centennial Conference) attempted to pull away as Smith hit a lay-up at 3:46 to put the Mules in front by 13. However, Christy Strunk (Jr., Pittsburgh, PA/North Allegheny) and Johns hit jumpers at 3:44 and 3:09 before Johns drilled a three-pointer at 2:05 to trim the lead to 76-70.
Neither team could score for over a minute as Strunk fouled Orosz who made one of two free throws with :50.9 left. Thirteen seconds later the Mules pushed the lead to nine points as Coluccini knocked down a pair of free throws following a foul by Lauren Dodrill (Sr., Timonium, MD/Roland Park). The Diplomats trimmed the lead 12 seconds later as Johns made two free throws off a foul by Aril Bryant to trail 79-72.
Muhlenberg responded as Smith made the back-end of a pair of chances at the charity stripe off a foul by Dodrill to move the margin out to 80-74 with 22.5 seconds left.
Franklin & Marshall mowed the lead to four points as Emily Weaver (So., Prince Frederick, MD/Calverton) hit for a basket and MC's Gwen Doyle was called for a foul on Johns off the ball who connected on a pair of free-throws for an 80-76 game with 15.1 left on the game clock. Muhlenberg sealed the game one second later as Piscaldo knocked down the back-end of a pair of free throws for the 81-76 final.
The two teams battled back-and-forth in the first half as Dodrill hit a lay-up with 7:18 left in the half for a 26-26 tie. However, Muhlenberg began to pull away in the half as Piscaldo drained a three-pointer to ignite an 8-0 run by the Mules for a 34-26 lead.
Dodrill knocked down a bucket with 3:56 remaining in the half before Rawson hit a jumper at 3:02 to pull to within 34-30. Emily Wright and Meghan Courtney made baskets for the Mules over the next 90 seconds before Johns banked in a three for a 38-33 Mules lead with 1:33 in the half. Doyle swished a three-pointer and Piscaldo made one-of-two free throws before Dodrill hit a pair of charity chances for a 45-32 Mules lead at the break.
Overall, Johns led all scorers with 26 points off nine-of-19 from the field, three-of-eight from beyond the arc, and five-of-six at the free-throw line while adding eight rebounds, four assists and five steals in 36 minutes before fouling out with 14 seconds left in the game. Dodrill added 14 points, while Strunk and Weaver chipped in 11 and 12 points, respectively, and eight rebounds apiece to key the Diplomats.
For Muhlenberg, Coluccini recorded a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Courtney added 15 points and Smith tallied six points and 11 boards in the win.
Franklin & Marshall will continue the season on November 30 in the Mayser Center versus Haverford. Game time is set for 7:00 p.m.
