A strong start to the second half vaulted the Muhlenberg women's basketball team to a much-needed 56-45 win at Franklin & Marshall.

The Mules (12-9, 7-9), who avenged a home loss to the Diplomats (9-11, 4-11) in early January, remained in the thick of a tight five-team race for the final three Centennial Conference spots. With two weeks to go in the regular season, the five teams are separated by just one game, all at 8-8, 7-8 or 7-9.

Junior Ava Connolly scored a game-high 22 points, going 8-of-12 from the field and 4-of-5 from three-point range. Junior Emily Unger also made four threes to account for all 12 of her points; just three days after connecting on just three of 26 three-point tries in a home loss to Swarthmore, Muhlenberg shot 50 percent (9 for 18) from behind the arc.

Junior Rachel Saxton recorded 8 steals – the most by a Mule player in seven years – to lead a defense that forced 19 turnovers and held F&M to four second-half field goals.

Muhlenberg scored the first seven points of the game and trailed only briefly, at 20-19 and 22-21 in the second quarter.

The Diplomats made a basket at the first-half buzzer to close to within four point, 32-28, but did not connect on their next field goal until six minutes had elapsed in the third quarter. The Mules opened the half on a 12-0 run that featured two threes by Unger (pictured above) to take a commanding lead.

F&M cut the deficit to six, 51-45, in the final two minutes and was about to get the ball back before Saxton made a tough baseline jumper off the dribble with the shot clock running down to push the lead back to eight and clinch the win.

Connolly added 7 rebounds and 5 assists to her 22 points. Junior Jenna Stockfeder pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds, hitting double figures for the eighth time this season.