Box Score
A magical season for the Muhlenberg women's basketball team came to an end with a 65-42 loss to Christopher Newport in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Captains (24-4) advance to the "Sweet 16" to face undefeated Scranton. The Mules fell a game short of their third "Sweet 16" appearance and finished at 25-3.
Sophomore Rachel Plotke led Muhlenberg with 12 points on the strength of 4-for-6 shooting from three-point range. She finished the season with a three-point percentage of .486, breaking the school record of .467 that had stood since 1991. Sophomore Brandi Vallely recorded 11 points, seven assists and four steals. She ended the year with 263 assists - the seventh-highest total in Division III history.
Christina Santone (pictured above), the lone playing senior on the team and the program's all-time leader in blocked shots, contributed nine points, five rebounds and two blocks before leaving to a heartfelt ovation late in the fourth quarter.
The Mules thrived all season on a high-scoring offense and a zone defense that held opponents to a low shooting percentage, but they had neither working against Christopher Newport. Muhlenberg struggled to set up its offense against the Captains' pressure and shot just 27.7 percent. Christopher Newport was 10-of-23 from three-point range in the first three quarters, capped by a buzzer-beating three from 30 feet at the end of the third.
Plotke's second three-pointer, with four minutes left in the first quarter, gave the Mules their final lead, at 10-8. The Captains held a one-point lead, 15-14, at the end of the quarter and did not allow a field goal for the first eight-plus minutes of the second quarter. By then, the lead had swelled to 15, and Muhlenberg could not climb back into the game.
The 25 wins were one short of the school record.