The Muhlenberg women's basketball team moved into first place in the Centennial Conference with a thrilling 60-57 home win against Swarthmore.

The Mules' win and Gettysburg's home loss to Dickinson resulted in no teams being undefeated in league play less than two weeks into the CC season. Muhlenberg (4-2, 3-1) is tied with Dickinson and Haverford atop the standings, with three other teams also sitting on one loss.

In handing the Garnet (4-3, 2-1) its first CC loss, the Mules built a big lead in the first half, lost it at the start of the second half, reclaimed it late in the third quarter and hung on through a tense fourth quarter.

Half of Muhlenberg's 20 field goals were three-pointers, with sophomore Emily Unger making five en route to a career-high 17 points and freshman Katie McGrath sinking four to set her career high with 12 points.

Graduate student Margaux Eripret also hit double figures, finishing with 13 points and 9 rebounds.

Playing against a Swarthmore team that allowed 39 and 38 points in its first two CC games, the Mules scored 33 in the first half, building a 12-point lead on an acrobatic layup by sophomore Rachel Saxton (pictured above) late in the quarter. 

The margin was nine, 33-24, at the half, but the Garnet went on a three-point tear in the third quarter, making four in a 16-3 run that made the score 40-36 in favor of the visitors. A three-pointer by McGrath and a layup by sophomore Jenna Stockfeder, who hustled down the court for a putback of a missed layup, sent the Mules into the fourth quarter ahead by a point, 43-42.

Swarthmore never drew even, but Muhlenberg never pulled away and the Garnet cut the margin back to one point four different times in the fourth quarter. The final time was at 58-57 with 1:05 remaining. 

The Garnet took three shots to take the lead on its next possession and missed all three. After the third one, junior Caroline Horst snagged her career-high 10th rebound, and Muhlenberg called an immediate timeout with 8.3 seconds left. Eripret made two free throws after getting fouled with 6.3 ticks showing, and Swarthmore missed a potential game-tying three at the buzzer.

Sophomore Ava Connolly set a career high with 8 assists.