The Muhlenberg men's basketball team clinched a Centennial Conference playoff berth with a 71-65 home win against pesky Haverford.

With three games remaining in the regular season, the Mules (14-8, 9-6) are tied with Ursinus - their opponent next Wednesday - for fourth place in the CC. They will begin the playoffs with a first-round game on Tuesday, February 21, and if they finish in third or fourth, that game will be at home.

Junior Giovanni Rubino led Muhlenberg with 23 points, while graduate student Dan Gaines finished with 15 points, 4 assists and 3 steals. 

When the two teams played three weeks ago, the Mules shot 67.7 percent in the first half and rolled to an 82-61 win. The going was a little tougher this time around: The Fords (7-15, 5-10) held a 20-14 lead with seven minutes left in the first half as Muhlenberg started 5-for-20 from the field.

Behind 8 points from Gaines and 5 from junior Brandon Goldberg, the Mules closed the half on a 17-4 run to take a seven-point lead into the locker room. 

Rubino's three to open the second half extended the spread to double digits, but Haverford came back to close to within two and had a possession at 46-44 with a chance to tie. Muhlenberg held, however, and threes by Rubino, Gaines and sophomore Charlie Gillikin built the lead back to 11.

Again the Fords would not go away, cutting the margin to three at the two-minute mark. Rubino swished a three on the next possession, however, helping the Mules close out the win.

Muhlenberg shot 61.9 percent in the second half, including 6-of-10 from three-point range.

Sophomore Jayson Williams-Johnson (pictured above) scored 9 points on the day before his 21st birthday, while Gillikin and Goldberg each finished with 8. Senior Tommy McGuire pulled down a game-high 8 rebounds.