An impressive fourth period rally back from a double-digit deficit led the Muhlenberg women's basketball team to a 70-63 key Centennial Conference victory at Johns Hopkins.
 
The Mules (10-6, 7-4 CC) started the final period trailing by 13 but climbed back to take the lead on a Rachel Plotke three-pointer, one of five for her in the game, with less than two minutes remaining. The defense held the Blue Jays (6-9, 5-6 CC) to three points over the final seven minutes to help spark the comeback.
 
Muhlenberg began the period with a free throw and a Maggie Zerbe layup off an offensive rebound, making it 58-48. Freshman Caroline Hogg then answered a Johns Hopkins jumper with a baseline basket of her own. A steal on defense led to a layup for junior Chelsea Gary, who was fouled and made the ensuing free throw to cut the deficit to seven.
 
Sophomore Eva Sodaitis found fellow sophomore Carley Hamilton for a left-handed layup to then make it 60-55. A similar basket from Hamilton, this time with junior Brandi Vallely dishing out the assist, trimmed the deficit to three with four minutes left.
 
A couple minutes later, Vallely drove into the lane and made a layup, and the Mules made a stop with junior Rachel Plotke blocking a Blue Jay shot. Vallely then found Gary for a tough layup to tie the game at 62-62. Another block, this time by Zerbe, set up a transition three-pointer from Plotke that gave Muhlenberg its first lead of the half with 1:30 to go.
 
The teams then traded free throws to make it 66-63. With only thirty seconds left and needing a stop, the Mules forced a critical turnover, and both Vallely and junior Sara Dilly sank a pair of free throws to help ensure the victory.
 
Four Mules scored in double figures, led by Plotke (pictured above) with 17 points. Gary finished close to a double-double, recording 12 points and a team-high nine rebounds to go with two blocks.
 
Vallely and Zerbe also scored in double figures and each finished with eight rebounds. Vallely added four assists to go with her 11 points, while Zerbe blocked a team-best three shots while chipping in 10 points.
 
Plotke made three triples in the first period to help Muhlenberg jump out to a 23-21 lead. The game remained close with the lead changing five times in the second period until a late run gave the Blue Jays a 39-33 halftime advantage.
 
Johns Hopkins increased its lead with an 8-0 run to start the second half until Hamilton laid the ball in off a rebound. Plotke then responded to a Blue Jays three-pointer with a triple of her own to make it 50-38.
 
The Mules twice brought the deficit back down to 11 on a three-pointer from freshman Emily O'Mahoney and a tough layup from Zerbe. The Blue Jays however kept a double-digit lead heading into the final period.
 
Muhlenberg shot 46.2 percent (6-13) from long range, making three of six three-pointers in the second half. The Mules held the second-best scoring team in the CC to only eight field goals and a 25.8 percent shooting clip in the second half, including a 16.7 percent rate from three-point range.