Sophomore Dan Gaines scored a career-high 30 points to lead the Muhlenberg men's basketball team to a 78-64 home win against Ursinus.

Gaines was 12-of-16 from the field in recording the first 30-point game by a Mule sophomore in seven years. He tied a school record by going 5-for-5 from three-point range, finishing his big night in style by banking in a three with just over two minutes to play. Gaines also contributed 6 rebounds and 4 assists.

Freshman Justin Allen followed up his career-best 20-point effort at McDaniel by scoring 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting, and sophomore Nate Henty Brown added 11 points.

The scoring was in support of a strong defensive effort that held the Bears (8-6, 3-4) 12 points below their season average. Ursinus entered the game second in the Centennial Conference in field-goal percentage, at .470, but was held to .393 shooting in the first half, when the Mules (11-3, 4-3) established their control.

Muhlenberg, meanwhile, shot 51.7 percent for the game, including a blistering 64.0 percent in the second half.

Junior Spencer Duke drove in for a layup on the Mules' second possession for the first points of the game, and Ursinus never caught up.

Muhlenberg took its biggest lead of the first half, nine points, with 12:16 to play when senior Matt Gnias dribbled behind the back and fed Gaines for a highlight-reel layup. The Bears got within one, at 27-26, late in the half, but back-to-back threes by Gnias and Allen sent the Mules into the locker room with a seven-point advantage.

Gaines drained a three on the first possession of the second half to extend the margin to double digits, and Ursinus never got closer than seven points the rest of the way. Muhlenberg stretched its lead to as many as 18 points en route to snapping its six-game losing streak to the Bears.

pictured above: Junior Michael Morreale assisted on two of the Mules' 11 three-pointers