Gettysburg and Muhlenberg posted convincing double-digit victories on their respective home courts on Tuesday to advance to the Centennial Conference men's basketball semifinals.
In Gettysburg, Pa., the third-seeded Bullets shot 56.3 percent in the first half to build a 20-point lead and kept sixth-seeded Franklin & Marshall at arm's length in the second half for a 71-51 win in the Centennial Conference tournament first-round game. Jordan Stafford led the Bullets with 17 points and nine rebounds, while Carl Schaller added 15 points, five rebounds and four assists. Vakaris Grauslys led the Diplomats with 15 points and six steals. Gettysburg advances to the semifinals for the second straight season and will travel to second-seeded Swarthmore for a 7 p.m. tip on Friday.
In Allentown, Pa., Giovanni Rubino poured in 35 points on 66.7% shooting to lead fourth-seeded Muhlenberg to a 74-53 triumph over fifth-seeded Ursinus. Rubino's 35-point performance ranks third in CC Tournament history, behind only Nick Shattuck's 46 points for Ursinus in 2008 and Dennis Stanton's 42 points for Urssinus in 2004. Ryan Hughes paced the Bears with 10 points, eight rebounds and three assists in the loss. The Mules are back in the semis for the first time since 2020 and will travel to top-seeded Johns Hopkins on Friday for an 8 p.m. tip-off.
QUARTERFINALS: Tuesday, Feb. 21 | at #3 & #4 seeds
#3 Gettysburg d. #6 Franklin & Marshall, 71-51
#4 Muhlenberg d. #5 Ursinus, 74-53
SEMIFINALS: Friday, Feb. 24 | at #1 & #2 seeds
#3 Gettysburg at #2 Swarthmore, 7 p.m.
#4 Muhlenberg at #1 Johns Hopkins, 8 p.m.
CHAMPIONSHIP: Sunday, Feb. 26 | at highest remaining seed
Semifinal winners, TBD