Men's Basketball wins in OT; Foster makes history

Saturday, the Mules (11-8, 9-3) won in overtime on the road for the second time this season, the first time they have accomplished this feat since the 1950-51 season. Senior guard/forward Ryan Foster reached a personal milestone when he made his second three-pointer of the game, the 150th of his collegiate career. Only 23 other Centennial Conference basketball players have hit as many threes in the history of the conference. Asked about Foster's record, head coach Scott McClary praised his abilities as a player, "Foster has really been playing well for us. Everyone knows about his ability to shoot the threes, but he has really stepped up his defense and rebounding. He has also become a more vocal leader on the team."The Mules have won two straight games, earning them a share of second place in the conference. The team started its modest win streak with a win last Wed. at home against Haverford (6-12, 4-8). In the game, the Mules nearly surrendered a 16-point lead to the visiting Fords, but prevailed. With four minutes left in the second half, the Mules saw their lead fall to three points.

However, senior forward Obi Nwizugbo blocked a Haverford player's layup attempt, and the Mules held the lead for the rest of the game. Foster led scorers with a game-high 17 points, and sophomore forward Spencer Liddic had his eighth double-double (best in the conference) with 11 points and 15 rebounds.

The end of Saturday's game was just as thrilling. The Mules' last meeting with McDaniel (8-10, 4-7) was hardly an exciting matchup - the Mules beat the Green Terror 67-40. Sat., the Mules dominated early, aided by Foster's five first-half field goals. After his milestone three-pointer, the Mules were up 27-11 (their largest lead of the game), with 5:27 left in the half. McDaniel answered with a 9-2 run, making the score at halftime 29-20.

The Green Terror came out of the half with a purpose, chipping away at the Mules' lead. McDaniel then went on another run of 15-5 to cut the Berg lead to a lone point. With 10:59 left in the game, the Green Terror took the lead at 46-45. Then, the McDaniel squad scored 10 straight points, but the Mules answered with a 13-3 run, taking a 58-55 lead with 2 minutes and 30 seconds left in the game. A Green Terror jumper cut the Mules' lead to one with less than 30 seconds left in the game. On the ensuing possession, senior guard Brian Frankoski cut through the paint and laid it in, making the score 60-57. But, with 12 seconds left in the game, a McDaniel player, smothered by Muhlenberg defenders, hit a difficult three to tie the game at 60. The Mules hurried the ball up the court and took a shot with two seconds left. The shot missed, but they got the board and put up a final shot which also missed, sending the game into overtime.

"When we got to overtime at McDaniel it was a tough pill to swallow," head coach Scott McClary said after the game. "We defended their final play really well and they hit a tough shot. [Going into the half,] all I tried to focus on was to stay positive and keep the guys thinking about what was next."

In overtime, the Mules dominated, starting it with a three by Foster, and never fell behind. The Green Terror were forced to foul down the stretch, with the Mules hitting the clutch free throws. The final score was 73-68.

Liddic led the Mules with 21 points and 9 rebounds, coming up just short of his ninth double-double. Foster had 20 points, seven rebounds and three blocks. Junior guard Evan Tozer also had 15 points to go along with two steals and two boards.

Although the Mules are still a talented team without ailing senior center Peter Barnes, they have certainly felt his loss, going 4-3 without him in in-conference games (opposed to 5-0 with him), and they have had to made adjustments.

"When we first lost Pete there was an adjustment period," McClary said when asked about Barnes. "We didn't play well for a few games. There isn't one guy to replace him. We had to learn to play differently and play with a smaller margin for error. One thing we did was to go to a lineup with both point guards in together. I try to look at the team as a different team all-together from the one with Pete. We had to learn what was the best way for this team to win. We are starting to figure that out now."

One thing is certain as the Centennial Conference heats up: the Mules cannot afford to relax down the stretch. "If we get beat, we will just get beat, it won't be because we overlooked anyone. We aren't good enough to do that," said coach McClary.

The Mules' next game is Wed. against Swarthmore (5-14, 4-8). Then, they go on a two-game road trip at Franklin & Marshall (16-3, 10-2) and Dickinson (1-16, 1-11).