Box Score

The Muhlenberg men's basketball team battled through regulation and overtime against Centennial Conference preseason favorite Franklin & Marshall before falling, 81-78, in its first league game of the season.

All five starters scored in double figured for the Mules (2-3), led by junior John Hunter with 16 points, eight rebounds and four blocks. Sophomore Nick Rindock scored 14 points, junior Brandon LaRose added 13, and junior Jon Schreer and sophomore JeanLee Baez netted 12 apiece. Baez (pictured above) added a game-high 13 rebounds for his first career double-double.

Muhlenberg allowed only one field goal in the final five minutes of the first half, closing on a 20-5 run to take an eight-point lead into the break. The Diplomats, ranked 19th in the D3hoops.com preseason poll, came back at the start of the second half and took a one-point lead with 14:02 to play. From that point on, neither team lead by more than five points.

Schreer's third three-pointer of the game, with 2:52 left, knotted the score at 67. After F&M (4-1) went back up by two on a field goal with 1:55 to play, the teams traded free throws for the next minute.

Baez powered in a layup with 48 seconds remaining, giving the Mules a 72-71 lead. The Diplomats tied the game on a free throw 15 seconds later, and the game went into overtime tied at 72.

A putback by Baez with 1:38 left in overtime brought the game to its final tie, at 78-78. F&M hit a three-pointer on the next possession, and Muhlenberg was unable to connect on a game-tying three in the closing seconds.