Senior Brandon LaRose scored 20 points on 9-of-10 shooting as the Muhlenberg men's basketball team overcame a five-point halftime deficit for a 70-59 win at Marywood in its final game of 2016.

The Mules (6-3) outscored the Pacers by a 38-22 margin in the second half. After a first half in which both teams shot over 53 percent, Muhlenberg held Marywood (0-9) to 32-percent shooting in the final 20 minutes. The Mules did not allow a point over a five-minute stretch late in the second half to break open a tight game.

Junior Owen McLeod, making his first start of the season, scored 12 points, while sophomore Erik Werheim finished with 11 points and 12 rebounds for his first career double-double.

Muhlenberg's big second half included three dunks, one by LaRose and two by Werheim. LaRose's dunk, off a pass from junior Kevin Miller, came with 8:33 left in the second half and put the Mules ahead for good at 52-50.

It was 55-52 a minute later before Muhlenberg went on an 11-0 run to put the game out of reach. Three baskets by LaRose and a putback by junior Alex Mitton accounted for the first eight points before McLeod capped the streak with a three-pointer, extending the lead to 66-52 with 2:29 left.

Prior to the decisive run, neither team had led by more than six points in a game that featured nine ties and nine lead changes.

Junior Nigel Long (pictured above) scored a career-high six points, making both of his three-point shots, and added four rebounds and two assists.

The Mules, playing for the first time in nine days, shot 52.7 percent for the game and had a 38-24 rebounding advantage. They also committed only nine fouls, and Marywood did not make a free throw.