Maggie Zerbe, Muhlenberg
The Muhlenberg women's basketball team's NCAA tournament run came to an early end with a 65-53 loss to SUNY Geneseo.
Despite the loss, junior Brandi Vallely ended her junior season on a positive note, finishing the game with 12 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. She in the process became Muhlenberg's all-time career leader in assists with 460, which is also the fourth most in Centennial Conference history. She needs 111 assists next season to break the conference record.
The Mules jumped out ahead of the Knights (27-1) and held the advantage most of the first half. Geneseo came back in the third period however and held its own lead until a Vallely layup gave Muhlenberg a 53-52 edge midway through the fourth period.
Geneseo however retook the lead on its next possession and proceeded to score the next 11 points as well, holding the Mules scoreless for the final five minutes to win the game. Neither team led by double digits until Geneseo made its late run, and the lead changed five times over the course of the game.
Junior Rachel Plotke led the Mules with 14 points, while sophomore Sara Dilly also scored in double figures with 12 points.
In the final game of her Muhlenberg career, senior Maggie Zerbe contributed five points, six rebounds and three blocks. Zerbe (pictured above) finished her four years as a Mule with 84 career blocks, tied for the seventh most in school history, to go with 414 points and 464 rebounds in 100 games played.
The Mules raced out to an early lead, with Valley scoring four of the Mules' first five points. Geneseo took its first lead midway through the first period and a Carley Hamilton baseline jumper knotted the game at 7-7. Dilly gave the Mules the lead back later in the period, making a jumper and then her first three-pointer to help her team take a 14-13 advantage after one period.
Plotke made her first three-pointer to start the second period. Vallely assisted on the Plotke triple, giving her 454 career assists and the Muhlenberg all-time record. The combo worked together again on the Mules' next possession, with Plotke's second three-pointer putting them up 20-13.
Muhlenberg's defense then went to work, holding the Knights to four points over the final 6:52 of the half. The Mules closed with a 7-2 run and took a 32-23 lead into the locker room.
Geneseo battled back in the third period, getting to within two before a baseline jumper from Zerbe put the Mules up 42-38. Junior Christina Manning followed with a long two of her own before the Knights sank a jumper and a layup to get within two again. Plotke drained another three-pointer to put the Mules back up by five, but Geneseo closed the period by scoring the next six points to take a 48-47 lead.
The Knights scored the first four points of the final period, but the Mules did not give in. Dilly hit a long two pointer to make it 52-49 with eight minutes left and Zerbe cut the deficit down to one with a layup off an offensive rebound. Two possessions later, Vallely drove and sank a layup to give Muhlenberg its first lead of the second half with 5:16 left to play.
Muhlenberg finishes its season at 20-8, the third straight year that the program has ended its campaign with 20-plus wins. The Mules are now 9-11 in NCAA tournament games in 11 appearances, the most of any Centennial Conference team.