Mule Climb Riggins, Edge Garnet
SWARTHMORE, Pa. - Muhlenberg senior forward Jimmie Riggins hit two three-pointers on consecutive possessions in the final 1:15, helping the Mules earn a 73-69 Centennial victory over the Garnet in Tarble Pavilion Wednesday night.
The score was tied at 67-67 with 1:13 to play when Riggins hit from deep on the right wing. Swarthmore junior forward Steve Wolf nailed a jumper at the other end to pull Swarthmore within one at 70-69, but after a Brandon Mefford offensive rebound extended the ensuing Mule possession, Riggins hit again with four seconds remaining to ice the game.
Wolf got off to a fast start even by his standards, hitting his first nine shots and scoring 19 points in the first 11:47 of the game. The Mules kept pace through the first nine minutes, helped by a pair of Chris Huber treys, but then the Garnet forwards took over the game. Wolf and freshman standout Matt Turner hit both the boards and their shots, leading the Garnet on a 13-2 run over four minutes, giving them a 29-18 lead.
Muhlenberg (3-3 overall, 2-1 CC) went on a run of its own late in the half, keyed by an old-fashioned three-point play by Mike Bernadini with 5:38 remaining. Garnet freshman sharpshooter Matt Allen responded with a trey one minute later, pushing the lead back to 10, but Muhlenberg scored eight of the final 10 points in the half to pull within five points, 39-34.
Swarthmore hit the glass hard during the period, with seven players getting in on the action bringing down a total of 15 defensive rebounds--Muhlenberg only managed one offensive rebound in the half.
The Mules clamped down on Wolf early in the second half and, with the help of a renewed effort on the offensive glass, clawed their way back into the game. Tom Scott's jumper pulled Muhlenberg even at 44-44 with 15:53 remaining, and a pair of Scott free throws put the Mules in front at 48-46 just over a minute later. Swarthmore stayed cold on the offensive end as the Mules built their lead as large as five, 55-50 with 10:08 to play. The Mules nursed the small lead until the 5:30 mark, when Allen hit from deep off of a Matt Kurman '08 feed, putting Swarthmore up by two. Kurman hit a jumper of his own on the next Garnet possession, giving the hosts a four-point lead. But the Mules scored on consecutive possessions, and the game was tied once again.
Another Kurman jumper tied the game for the 10th time, 67-67 with 1:49 to play before Riggins' heroics.
Wolf finished the evening with a season-high 27 points on 13-19 shooting from the field. The junior also grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds, six of them offensive. Wolf now has three double-doubles on the season, leading the team in points (15.7 per game).
Allen finished with 13 points off the bench and Kurman added 10. Junior center Ian McCormick sat most of the first half with two fouls but still finished with 10 boards.
Scott and Justin Fields, who showed an impressive ability to finish in the paint, led the Mules with 18 points each. Riggins finished with 15 and tied Fields for the team lead with nine rebounds.
The Garnet (2-5, 1-2 CC) will look to get back in the win column on Saturday when they travel to defending conference champion Ursinus for a 2:00 p.m. contest.