Box Score |
Photo GalleryThree days after grinding out a 47-46 win against previously undefeated Gettysburg, the Muhlenberg women's basketball
team went back on the offensive, jumping out to a 14-2 lead in the first four minutes and going on to roll past Franklin & Marshall, 74-36, for its fourth straight win.
The Mules (7-5, 6-2) took every opportunity to push the tempo against the Diplomats (3-10, 1-6), who suited up only eight players. It was a more typical style for the team that entered the game second in the Centennial Conference in scoring - and whose point guards are named Rush and Fleet.
But according to one of them, it's more about the result than the style."I don't think we prefer one way or the other," said senior Janelle Fleet, who tied her career high of eight points. "If it calls for us to be uptempo, that's what we do. If it calls for us to be more halfcourt, that's what we do. Coach does a great job preparing us and we just came out ready to play."They unquestionably were ready, showing no signs of a letdown after beating two previously undefeated teams last week. Muhlenberg scored on its first six possessions and never slowed down, opening up a 33-8 lead with 6:30 left in the half.
Senior
Leanna Tallamy completed her seventh straight double-double in the first half alone, recording 13 points
and 10 rebounds. She finished with 17 points and 13 rebounds in only 21 minutes of action. Tallamy was the only Mule in double figures, leading a balanced attack in which 12 different players scored
points. Senior Nicole Pepe netted nine points in only 14 minutes, canning all three of her three-point tries. Fleet scored five of her eight in a seven-second span late in the first half, driving in for a lefty layup, then stealing the inbounds pass from a layup-and-one. The big lead - and the beginning of a stretch of three games in five days - allowed the Mules to play many of
their younger players for extended minutes. Freshman Chelsea Gary had career highs of seven points and eight rebounds, while sophomore Maggie Zerbe (pictured left) also scored seven. For the game, Muhlenberg had a 60-39 rebounding advantage and held F&M to 17.9-percent shooting from the field. The 38-point margin of victory was the greatest for the Mules in a CC road game in three years.
"We have to keep the pace we're going at," said Fleet. "We are playing very well and I think we're on a road
to being one of the best teams in the conference."
