Green Terror holds Muhlenberg to 17 first-half points in 68-54 win

WESTMINSTER, Md. – Michael Jarboe (Monrovia, Md./Urbana) netted 15 points, including hitting a season-best four 3-pointers, to lead McDaniel in a 68-54 Centennial Conference (CC) men's basketball victory over Muhlenberg on Saturday.

Marcus Dyson (Scotch Plains, N.J./Union Catholic) added 12 points for the Green Terror (12-11, 9-7 CC), who snapped its three-game skid and moved into a position where the team will clinch a first-round bye in the CC tournament with two wins next week. McDaniel needs at least one win next week to assure itself a playoff spot in the five-team field.

Kevin Hargrove led the Mules (12-11, 8-8 CC) with 16 points while Spencer Liddic added a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds.

After a back-and-forth opening four-and-a-half minutes, Jarboe canned the first of his triples with 15:05 on the clock to break a 7-all deadlock and ignite a 26-10 burst over the remainder of the first half.

Liddic responded to Jarboe's 3-pointer with a single free throw but a Louis Sarris-Grau (Huntingdon Valley, Pa./Lower Moreland) free throw and second Jarboe trey stretched the lead to six with 11:34 showing.

James Albano and Tyler Rudd (Glen Burnie, Md./Glen Burnie) traded layups before Cullen Murray-Kemp (Trappe, Md./Easton) hit a 3-pointer to start a 7-0 stretch.

An Austin Curry free throw closed the deficit to 27-15 with 4:37 to play but six straight McDaniel points pushed the lead to 18 before Justin Greenstone hit a layup to close the half and trim the deficit to 33-17 at the break.

The Green Terror stretched the lead to 19 on a Jarboe 3-pointer early in the second half.

Still leading 40-23 with 13:50 to play, Matt O'Hara canned a trey of his own to spark a 14-6 run that closed the deficit to nine with 10:06 to play.

Jarboe silenced the run with a 3-pointer but the Mules chipped the deficit back to 53-44 with 5:26 to play but back-to-back buckets from Evan Pupelis (Manhasset, N.Y./Manhasset) extended the lead back to 13 and sealed the win.

Pupelis finished with nine points on 4-for-4 shooting with three rebounds and three blocked shots. Murray-Kemp added nine points and six boards.

The Green Terror returns to action at Swarthmore on Wednesday. Game time is 8 p.m.

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