Box Score THE FACTS
McDaniel (9-11, 4-10 CC) 62, Muhlenberg (7-14, 4-10 CC) 61
What: Centennial Conference (CC) men's basketball game
When: Saturday, Feb. 5
Where: Allentown, Pa.
THE SKINNY
McDaniel rallied from down as many as six points in the second half with a late 3-pointer and defensive stance to defeat Muhlenberg, 62-61.
THE LEADERS
• Mike Wallace (Wilmington, Del./Salesianum School) led the Green Terror offensively with 18 points.
• Chris McAboy (Martinsburg, W.Va./St. Maria Goretti [Md.]) added 11 points, including the game-winning 3-pointer.
• Kaelen Kanealey (Rochester, N.Y./Irondequoit) chipped in 10 points but it was a blocked shot and then a steal in the final 10 seconds that sealed the victory.
FOR THE FOES
• Jayson Williams-Johnson led the Mules with 16 points.
• Noah Watson added 13 points while Giovanni Rubino and Luke Gordos chipped in 11 points each.
THE REST OF THE STORY
• The first 11 minutes featured three ties and five lead changes with neither team building a lead larger than three. Tied at 12-all on a Giovanni Rubino 3-pointer, Josh Arruda (Morrisville, Pa./Pennsbury) responded with a three-point play and Mike Wallce canned two free throws for a 17-12 lead with 6:40 on the clock. Five points from Noah Watson keyed a 6-0 burst that gave Muhlenberg a 20-19 edge with 3:53 remaining. Trailing 22-21, David Smoot III (Baltimore, Md./Baltimore City College) hit a 3-pointer and Wallace converted an old-fashioned three-point play for a 27-22 lead. Rubino drained a jumper in the final 27 seconds to make it a three-point game at the break.
• After a Kaelen Kanealey 3-pointer made it 33-30 with 17:22 showing, Jayson Williams-Johnson responded with a personal 7-0 run for the Mules to take a 37-33 lead nearly two minutes later. Another Kanealey triple pulled the Green Terror within one and Carter Truby (Sykesville, Md./Century) drilled another trey for the lead once again. Trailing 49-44 on a Wallace three-point play with 9:12 to play, Tommy McGuire hit a layup to spark a 12-5 run and give Muhlenberg a 59-53 lead with 4:45 remaining. Chris McAboy drained a 3-pointer with 3:57 showing to cut the lead in half. After Rubino and Josh Sproul (Princess Anne, Md./Washington Academy) traded layups, McAboy hit the second of two free throws with 1:07 remaining to make it a two-point game.
• After a missed 3-pointer at the other end, McDaniel called a timeout in the front court with 31.8 seconds remaining. McAboy curled off a screen and fired from the top of the arc, bouncing home the go-ahead 3-pointer with 14.6 seconds showing. Muhlenberg called a timeout in the frontcourt with 10.6 seconds remaining. Kanealey rejected a close-range shot attempt with approximately five seconds left before the ball eventually bounced out of bounds in front of the Mule bench with 0.6 seconds remaining. After timeouts by both teams, Kanealey snagged the lob attempt towards the basket out of the air to secure the victory.
THE INSIDE STORY
• For the Green Terror, it was the first one-point win at Muhlenberg ever and the first time McDaniel has won a one-point road game since defeating Ursinus 76-75 on Dec. 2, 2006.
• Mike Wallace added 10 assists to his 16 points. It was the first 10-assist game for McDaniel since Mike DiPiero dished out 10 against Washington (Md.) on Nov. 20, 2005. That was also the last time a Green Terror had a double-double with points and assists before Wallace.
NEXT UP
McDaniel returns to action at home against Washington (Md.) on Tuesday. Game time is 8 p.m.