Sophomores Drew Buck and Jack Woodard combined for 37 points to help defeat the Washington College Shoremen 71-56 and keep pace with McDaniel in the Centennial Conference playoff race.

It was a textbook victory for the Mules, who held a consistent one or two possession lead until there was a little over five minutes remaining. That's when the hosts cut the margin to just one at 50-49. From there, the Mules went on a 21-7 run to close out the game. Buck and Woodard started it with a pair of free throws and a three, respectively, but it was the six turnovers forced by the Mules defense that sealed the victory. Arinze Achufusi also contributed mightily to this stretch, putting up eight of his 10 points in the game's final minutes.

Across the rest of the contest, good decision-making and swift ball movement manipulated the Washington College defense into giving up open shots. This was especially true in the first half, where the Mules rode a 7-of-14 mark from three-point land to a 35-32 halftime lead. Woodard (3-for-6) and Buck (3-for-6) accounted for most of those makes. The sophomore forward would finish with 20 points while the second-year guard had 17 on just nine shots. Woodard did much of his damage in the halfcourt, while Buck was the primary transition threat for the Mules.

The win marks number 100 in the career of head coach Kevin Hopkins, who is in his eighth season at the helm. He's just the fifth coach in team history to reach the mark and could move into the top three in total wins sometime over the next few seasons.

With the win, Muhlenberg moves to 5-6 in conference games to pull even with McDaniel in the Centennial's playoff race. Muhlenberg controls its own destiny; with a pair of wins to close out the season, the Mules will earn the sixth and final playoff spot over McDaniel. Even if they were to lose to Ursinus on February 18, a win over McDaniel in the regular season finale would vault the Mules into that last playoff spot.