Box Score

It seemed fitting that everything that Muhlenberg women's basketball has done well over this impressive 14-game stretch was on display on Senior Day. In fact, down in the paint, Muhlenberg's play was the best in school history in some aspects.

The Mules (16-6, 14-3) set two single-game team records, breaking the rebounding record of 71 with 75 boards and shattering the blocked shots record of 12 with 17 rejections in an 86-53 win over Franklin & Marshall.

At the center of the record-breaking day was Leanna Tallamy, who contributed 13 rebounds and four blocks along with 21 points. 

"We just wanted to go out today and have fun. We wanted to work as a team. Coach said not to worry that it's Senior Day, just go out and honor the seniors," sophomore Caroline Barberi said.

The win was Muhlenberg's 13th win in its last 14 games. The Mules remain in second place in the Centennial Conference with three more games to play, and they clinched a first-round bye with this win. They would need to win their lone remaining CC game at Ursinus and have McDaniel to lose both of its remaining two games to have a chance to earn the top seed and host the CC tournament.

Either way, from a slow start in 2014, it's been quite the run for these Mules.

"It says a lot about our team. In the beginning we had a rough start but now everything is cooking and we're working together. We depend on each other and we're not playing an individual game," Barberi said.

Christina Santone tied a record of her own. Her four blocked shots brought her season total to 60, which ties the Muhlenberg single-season individual record set 35 years ago. She also matched Tallamy with 13 rebounds. Maggie Zerbe (three blocks, eight rebounds) and Chelsea Gary (two blocks, eight rebounds) were both key contributors to the record-breaking day.

Barberi actually gained recognition for the wrong reasons.  Of the 14 Mules who played, Barberi was the only one not to score, showing Muhlenberg's depth and balance in the offensive end.

"I cheer anyone else on. If I had an off day, I know everyone else will pick it up. They just played amazing, and it just shows what next year is going to be like," Barberi said.

After a bit of a slow start that got them down 4-0 early, an 18-4 run put the Mules up by double digits, where the margin would stay the rest of the afternoon. It made for a festive day for the team's six seniors.

Though they did not break any records, the senior point guard duo of Hannah Rush and Janelle Fleet did what they do best, which is setting up their teammates and taking care of the ball. Rush and Fleet combined to dish out nine assists. While they have different demeanors, according to Barberi, they both help the team in their own way.

"Hannah is a natural leader. When you are on the court with Hannah, you look to her for directions and she tells you what to do and you just go. She's a natural born leader. She leads the team in all she does," Barberi said. "Janelle has that spunk on the team. She gets in the game and just puts everything out there. She has that enthusiasm and excitement that we need to push forward."

Tallamy (pictured left) won her third CC player of the week award on Monday, but as Barberi said, even those awards don't begin to tell her contribution to the Mules.  

"Leanna sometimes doesn't get the recognition she deserves. We depend on her so much and she gets 20 points every single game. She hustles and is a great leader and role model for the team," Barberi said.

On the wings, Abby Stenger and Nicole Pepe once again showed off their shooting strokes, combining to go 5-for-10 from deep.  Pepe's 15 points were six above her average. In the senior program, Pepe and Stenger wrote about how close they were both as friends, and in how their games are similar on the court.

"Abby and Pepe are my role models. They are such great shooters and I play behind them so I look up to them. Even freshman year when I didn't play, it was always Pepe and Abby there for me to look up to," Barberi said.

That duo's wing-mate, Laura Gregory, chipped in an energetic eight points and seven rebounds.

"Laura never backs down. Every time she gets the ball she knows she's going to go to the hoop and she does anything she possibly can to make that basket that we need. She never gives up," said Barberi.

The class' 72nd win in four years allowed them to showcase each of their unique skills for one last time at Memorial Hall, and was a near-perfect way to go out.