After a back-and-forth first half that saw the lead change nine times, the Muhlenberg men's basketball team fell victim to Swarthmore's hot shooting, falling 84-72.

Despite having their three-game winning streak snapped, the Mules (11-11, 6-9) remained a game behind Gettysburg for the fifth and final Centennial Conference playoff spot with three games remaining in the regular season. Gettysburg fell to first-place Johns Hopkins for its fifth straight loss.

Malique Killing led all scorers with 25 points on 9-for-18 shooting. He did his best work at the end of the first half, where he scored on five of the last seven Muhlenberg possessions and assisted  on a Sam McClellan jumper on another.  The senior, who holds the second-highest active total in Division III with 1,877 career points, also tied for a game high with four assists.               

Freshman Nick Rindock turned in another solid performance, pouring 14 points on 6-for-11 shooting. Over his last eight games, Rindock is averaging 16.5 points and shooting 64.7 percent from the field.

The Garnet (9-13, 5-10) went into the half with a five-point lead at 40-35 and started the second half on a 19-4 run that got the lead to 20.

Freshman Michael Talbert provided some real energy when he came in, hitting a three and then forcing a five-second violation on the first two possessions he was in the game. He finished with a career-high five points.