The Muhlenberg women's basketball team used a stingy defense to smother Moravian, 45-33, in its 2023-24 season opener.
 
The Mules held the Greyhounds to 28.3-percent shooting and forced 19 turnovers.
 
The defense came up big particularly down the stretch. Muhlenberg's lead was only one, 32-31, three minutes into the fourth quarter, but Moravian made just one field goal the rest of the way while turning the ball over five times.
 
Junior Ava Connolly scored 5 of her game-high 17 points in the game-ending 13-2 run, starting the surge with a three from the corner on an inbounds play and ending it on a driving layup on which she got fouled.
 
Junior Rachel Saxton finished with 9 points and 4 steals, and senior Caroline Horst added 7 points and 6 rebounds for the Mules, who led throughout the entire second half, though by no more than six points until junior Jenna Stockfeder hit a jumper with 5:28 left for a 39-31 advantage.
 
Stockfeder (pictured above) and junior Emily Unger tied for the team lead with 7 rebounds apiece.
 
The defense did an outstanding job on Moravian's leading returning scorer, who netted 23 points in last year's meeting. This time she was held to no field goals while turning the ball over five times.