ALLENTOWN, Pa. – A three-pointer from senior Mikey Ayala Jr. with 1:18 left and game-clinching free throws from senior David Kearney sealed a 52-49 win for the McDaniel College men's basketball team over Muhlenberg on Saturday.
 
With the win, the Green Terror (16-9, 6-7) secured the final spot in the 2026 Centennial Conference Men's Basketball Championship, the program's first appearance in the conference tournament since 2016. The team's 16 regular season wins are its highest in a single season since 2013-14, when McDaniel won 18 games and advanced to the conference semifinals.
 
The Mules (12-13, 5-8) opened the first half on a 7-2 run, eventually growing the lead to 11-4 with 12:39 left in the half. Six straight Green Terror points cut the deficit to one at the 10:40 mark before Muhlenberg grew the lead back to six with 5:58 to play. A three-pointer from sophomore Ashenafi Stuart with 1:04 remaining gave McDaniel a 24-22 lead for its first advantage of the half as the Green Terror took a one-point lead into the break.
 
The second half saw the lead change hands 12 times with a postseason berth hanging in the balance. Free throws from senior Matt Kearney gave McDaniel a 46-45 lead with 2:41 to play, but the Mules answered with a layup 26 seconds later to take the lead back. Muhlenberg held a 49-47 advantage following a pair of free throws with 1:37 left, making way for a three-pointer from Ayala Jr. that proved to be the difference. Free throws from Kearney with four seconds left clinched McDaniel's first conference tournament berth in a decade.
 
Kearney finished as the game's leading scorer with 15 points, converting 9-of-15 attempts from the foul line while collecting a career-high six blocks. Junior Bruce Black finished in double figures with 10 points and six rebounds while junior Ryan Shaffer scored six bounds and grabbed nine boards.
 
The sixth-seeded Green Terror will travel to Ursinus on Tuesday to face the third-seeded Bears in the opening round of the 2026 Centennial Conference Men's Basketball Championship. Tip-off time has yet to be announced.