Box Score

Muhlenberg men's basketball and Haverford were tied at 61 with 6:41 to play. The Mules could not afford a loss if they wanted to remain in the Centennial Conference playoff picture, so they did what any good team that needed a win did; they gritted their teeth and played some tough defense.

"Coach McClary really wanted us to dig in on defense and get some stops. Once we get some stops it make it so much easier on offense We had the ball moving on offense and we were playing together down the stretch. That's what got us the win," freshman Nick Rindock said.

From that tie, the Mules went on an 11-1 run and ended the game on a 21-8 run to get past Haverford 82-69.  The game-winning stretch included layups from John Hunter, Rindock and a three from Jon Schreer.

With five games remaining in the regular season, Muhlenberg (10-10, 5-8) is two games behind McDaniel and Gettysburg for the fifth and final playoff spot. The Mules host Gettysburg on Saturday in another key game.

The star of the night was the freshman Rindock, who scored a game-high 22 points on 9-of-13 shooting. He also grabbed eight rebounds. He was not the only Mule who shot efficiently. The center Hunter was 5-of-7 for 12 points and nine boards, and Schreer (12 points) and Owen McLeod (13) both scored in double digits by hitting at least half their shots. Overall, the Mules shot 50.8 percent from the field on the night, and they did it by setting each other up.

"We all try to play for each other. We don't care who scores the most points one night. As long as we get the win and we're playing together, that's what fun to us," Rindock said.

While shooting at a high clip, the Mules also held the Fords to 36.1-percent shooting from the field. They also owned the glass, outrebounding the Fords 44-29.

Sam McClellan (pictured left) and Brandon LaRose (pictured above) were two of the four Mules with at least five rebounds.

Rindock had 14 of his 22 in the first half that ended with a 45-41 Muhlenberg lead.  Before an eight-point outing on Saturday at McDaniel, Rindock had scoring outputs of 17, 17, 24 and 19 in his last four games. It's safe to say that he's adjusted to the speed and physicality of the college game pretty quickly, and he's earned his time on the court.

"I just try to make the right plays and do what works to win," said Rindock.

With back-to-back wins for the first time since December, Muhlenberg is heating up for a stretch run to extend its season.

 "It makes us focus more. It's more fun. Every single game we're only looking to our next game as our most important one," Rindock said of the chase for the playoffs.