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The first trip for the Muhlenberg women's basketball team to McDaniel this year was memorable, and not necessarily for the right reason. The Mules' bus broke down on the way back to Allentown, and the team was shuttled in cars back to McDaniel's campus until a replacement bus arrived.
On their second trip, the Mules once again hung around the Gill Center long after their game had ended, but this time it was intentional.
Muhlenberg won its eighth Centennial Conference championship with a 68-64 victory over McDaniel, earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Pairings and sites will be announced on ncaa.com on Monday at 2:30.
"It's really indescribable. I don't want to say I can't believe it, because I have all the confidence in my teammates," said senior Nicole Pepe after participating in a postgame net-cutting ceremony and posing for picture after picture after picture with the trophy and those teammates.
"All I can say is that it's awesome," said senior Leanna Tallamy, who was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player after recording 20 points and nine rebounds in the title game. ""I've wanted this ever since I transferred here. I wanted to win a championship."
She got her wish after an insanely intense game that, with the exception of a three-minute stretch to end the first half and start the second, was played within a five-point window throughout and featured 17 lead changes. The Mules (20-7) did not lead by more than four points until the final 10 seconds.
The Green Terror (24-3) shot 8-of-15 from three-point range in the first half and hit three straight threes late in the first half to turn a 22-all tie into a 31-22 lead. A layup by junior Christina Santone sent Muhlenberg into the locker room down seven.
"When we went into the second half we just knew we had to keep up the intensity and keep up the emotion," said Pepe. "What we are is a team. This was 100 percent a team win."
Indeed, the Mules got contributions from all over. Senior Laura Gregory finished with 14 points and nine rebounds, junior Christina Santone had seven points and nine rebounds despite playing the last 10 minutes with four fouls.
Pepe scored 10 points, all in the second half, and senior point guards Hannah Rush (7 points, 4 assists) and Janelle Fleet (8 points) made one big play after another.
Two buckets by Tallamy and a Pepe three in the first three minutes of the second half got Muhlenberg back into the game and set the stage for the heart-stopping finish. The game was tied at 37, 42, 48 and 50 as each team's attempt to pull away was promptly answered by the other team.
The Mules took the lead for good at 59-58 on a putback by Santone with 3:35 left. Another putback, plus one, by Gregory made it 62-58.
Fleet (pictured at left) answered a Green Terror basket by driving in for a layup, leaving the score 64-60 as the game went into the final minute. A McDaniel free throw cut the margin to three, and after a Muhlenberg miss, the Green Terror took a three with a chance to tie, but it missed.
Santone grabbed the rebound and passed off to Rush, who was fouled and hit two free throws with 9.7 seconds left to give the Mules their biggest lead, 66-61. McDaniel came right back and hit a three with 3.1 ticks on the clock, closing the deficit to two.
Rush finally put the game away by hitting two free throws in the face of the raucous McDaniel student section with 2.2 seconds to play. One desperation three-point try later, Muhlenberg stormed the court in celebration.
The win was the 17th in the last 19 games for the Mules, who reached the 20-win mark for the seventh time in the last 10 years. It also gave the seniors, who were part of the 2012 CC championship team as freshmen, their second title, but their first as the leaders of the team.
"Freshman year seems so far away," said Pepe. "This is just so surreal. I've never been happier."
"This is our year for sure," added Tallamy.