Category Archives: men’s basketball

Basketball Postscript

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If it seemed like the 2011-12 season was a particularly good one for basketball at Muhlenberg, that’s because it was.

The Mule women ended their season in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at Mount Union on Saturday, bringing down the curtain on one of the best winters of basketball in College history.

The women finished with a record of 23-6, while the men were 18-9. The 41 combined wins were the second-most ever at Muhlenberg. Here are the top 10 years for combined wins:

  • 2008-09    42-15 (women 26-4, men 16-11)
  • 2011-12    41-15 (women 23-6, men 18-9)
  • 2001-02    40-10 (women 21-4, men 19-6)
  • 2005-06    40-15 (women 26-3, men 14-12)
  • 1985-86    36-15 (men 20-7, women 16-8)
  • 2010-11    36-18 (women 23-6, men 13-12)
  • 1997-98    35-20 (women 18-10, men 17-10)
  • 2009-10    34-20 (women 21-6, men 13-14)
  • 1998-99    33-18 (men 17-8, women 16-10)
  • 1996-97    33-18 (women 18-8, men 15-10)

During the season both Mule teams won two tournaments, one at home (the Scotty Wood Tournament) and one on the road (the Gallaudet Holiday Tournament for the men, the Centennial Conference playoffs for the women).

The men came within one win of the CC title. It was the eighth time in the 19-year history of the league that a school placed both its men’s and women’s team in the championship game, and the first time since 2000 that a school did so and came away with one title:

  • 2012 Muhlenberg (women won, men lost)
  • 2008 Gettysburg (both lost)
  • 2006 Johns Hopkins (both lost)
  • 2004 Johns Hopkins (both lost)
  • 2000 Johns Hopkins (women won, men lost)
  • 1999 Johns Hopkins (both won)
  • 1998 Muhlenberg (both won)
  • 1998 Johns Hopkins (both lost)

Both Mule teams wound up exactly where they were predicted to in the CC preseason polls (the women first and the men second). But to say the seasons went as expected would be a stretch. Both teams started strong (a combined 17-2 in November and December), faltered in January (a combined 9-9) and hit their strides coming down the stretch (a combined 11-2 in February leading up to the playoffs).

In January, before the teams hit their rough patch, we wrote about the success of both teams. The article referred to an “infectious culture of winning.”

Now that the infection has taken hold, the Mules and their fans hope it continues to spread in the coming years.

Records Are Made to Be Broken

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When Bob McClure was in his late teens and early 20s, it was rare that an account of a Muhlenberg basketball game did not include mention of his tremendous accomplishments.

Who knew that the same would be true when he was in his 60s?

McClure, who played basketball at Muhlenberg from 1968 to 1971, has been in the news a lot lately as some of his records have fallen. It is a testament to how impressive his career was that it not only took 40 years to break his records, but it also took three different players:

• Last year, Spencer Liddic broke McClure’s 1970-71 mark of 508 points in a season. Liddic scored 509, and this year he passed McClure for second on the Mules’ all-time rebounding list and third on the field goals made chart.

• In late January, Alexandra Chili broke McClure’s record of 1,788 points scored by a Muhlenberg basketball player, male or female. Chili has 1,966 heading into this weekend’s NCAA Tournament.

• Ten days ago, Malique Killing broke McClure’s 1967-68 school record of 419 points scored by a freshman. Killing ended the season with 449, which is also a Centennial Conference record.

So what does McClure, now 62 and a financial consultant in Downingtown, Pa., think about all this?

“It’s a good thing!” he said. “Forty years is long enough [to hold the records].”

McClure played on the highest-scoring teams in Muhlenberg men’s basketball history. In his four years – with no shot clock and no three-point line – the Mules averaged 79.9, 85.8, 84.4 and a school-record 86.6 points per game. For the first three of those years, he formed a sensational trio with Ned Rahn and Mickey Miller. At the time of their graduation, they ranked first, second and fourth on the all-time scoring list. They still are first, fourth and seventh.

“We had fun with our team, and I hope they have as much fun now,” said McClure, the MAC South player of the year in 1969 and 1971. “We had three guys who could put up 40 points every game. We were a run-and-gun team. It was a different way of playing.”

Click here for video of the run-and-gun Mules in their short shorts, with McClure scoring two of his 1,788 points at the end of the play.

For all the high point totals and records, however, for McClure it always comes back to basketball being a team sport. And his Mules scored high in that regard too.

“We won three conference championships,” he says proudly, and that might be his most impressive legacy. Since Muhlenberg won back-to-back-to-back Middle Atlantic Conference South titles from 1968 to 1970, only twice has a team in the Mules’ conference (the MAC until 1993, the Centennial since) won three straight (F&M from 1992 to 1994 and 2010 to 2012).

McClure, who still owns the single-game scoring record of 44 points, was on hand at this year’s Scotty Wood Tournament to present Liddic with a ball for breaking his record, and he recently e-mailed head men’s coach Scott McClary with congratulations after the Mules qualified for the playoffs.

“I wish them all the best,” he said.

That “best” may include more of Bob McClure’s records going down in the coming years. And that would be a good thing too.

Weekend Preview

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It’s the weekend eight Muhlenberg teams have been looking forward to all year. For the five winter sports, it’s Championship Weekend, the culmination of months of practice and competition. For three spring sports, it’s the start of their season, a chance to get off on the right foot.

Throw in the second game of the season for men’s lacrosse, and it adds up to a busy and exciting weekend for the Mules!

Here are the events in the order they start:

Women’s Tennis at Vassar (Friday, 4:00)

Men’s Basketball vs. Dickinson at Franklin & Marshall (Friday, 6:00)

Live stats/video: http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/fandm.portal#

Live audio (WMUH): http://www.muhlenberg.edu/wmuh/stream.html

Preview: http://www.muhlenberg.edu/main/athletics/winter12/0223.html

Men’s Tennis at Lafayette (Friday, 7:00)

Women’s Basketball vs. Franklin & Marshall at Johns Hopkins (Friday, 8:00)

Live stats: http://www.hopkinssports.com/gametracker/launch/gt_wbaskbl.html?event=1087999&school=jhop&sport=wbaskbl&camefrom=&startschool=&

Live video: http://www.hopkinssports.com/allaccess/?media=304636

Preview: http://www.muhlenberg.edu/main/athletics/winter12/0223page2.html

Wrestling at Gettysburg for Centennial Conference Championships (Saturday, 10:00)

Brackets (to be updated periodically throughout tournament): http://www.gettysburgsports.com/sports/2012/2/20/WREST_0220122957.aspx?id=1203

Live video (consolation finals and finals only): http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/gettysburg.portal# 

Preview: http://www.muhlenberg.edu/main/athletics/winter12/0222page3.html

Track & Field at Ursinus for Centennial Conference Championships (Saturday, 10:30)

Live results: http://webpages.ursinus.edu/jwagner/track/index.htm

Preview: http://www.muhlenberg.edu/main/athletics/winter12/0222page2.html

Baseball at Gallaudet (Saturday, 12:00 doubleheader)

Season preview: http://www.muhlenberg.edu/main/athletics/winter12/0223page3.html

Men’s Lacrosse vs. York (Saturday, 1:00)

Live stats: http://www.muhlenberg.edu/sports/mlaxlive/xlive.htm

Live video: http://www.livestream.com/muhlenberg

Baseball at Catholic (Sunday, 1:00)

 Live stats: http://livestats.prestosports.com/cua/bsb/?e=2rcig2kyg9l8wt06

Athletes of the Week

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for contests between February 13 and February 19

Female Athlete of the Week – Alexandra Chili, Basketball

Chili averaged 21.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists to lead the Mules to two road wins against CC playoff teams in the final week of the regular season. She had four points, a rebound and a steal in the final minute to help Muhlenberg pull away from Haverford, and she netted four points in a game-ending 6-0 run that handed Ursinus only its second home loss of the season. Chili shot .545 (6-of-11) from three-point range, moving into a tie for ninth place on the all-time Division III list for made threes (323).
 
Male Athlete of the Week – Malique Killing, Basketball
 
Killing averaged 23.5 points and 4.0 assists to lead the Mules to two road wins that gave them the No. 2 seed in the CC playoffs. He scored game highs of 20 points at Haverford and 27 at Ursinus. Killing shot .516 from the field, including .545 from three-point range, to break the 44-year-old school record for points scored by a freshman (427).

Weekend Preview

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All five Muhlenberg winter sports teams will be competing for Centennial Conference titles next weekend. This weekend, they get their final tuneups.

Men’s Basketball at Ursinus (Saturday, 3:00)

In the CC preseason poll, Franklin & Marshall was picked to finish first, Muhlenberg second and Dickinson third. And even though Dickinson started out 2-4, and Muhlenberg was 4-6 just four weeks ago, that’s exactly the way things could wind up.

If the Mules (16-8, 10-7) beat the Bears (9-15, 8-9 and out of playoff contention), and Dickinson loses to Franklin & Marshall, Muhlenberg will earn the No. 2 seed and face Dickinson in a CC semifinal next Saturday. If Muhlenberg and Dickinson both win, they will play each other with the Red Devils as the No. 2 seed.

With a loss, the Mules slip to the No. 4 seed, and they would host the loser of the Johns Hopkins-Washington game on Wednesday.

The first pair of Muhlenberg teammates to each score 400 points in a season in 16 years, senior Spencer Liddic and freshman Malique Killing are approaching milestones. Liddic is 22 rebounds away from 1,000, and Killing needs 20 points to break the school freshman record of 419 set by Bob McClure in 1967-68.

Ursinus won the first meeting, 63-61, overcoming a 14-point deficit with 14 minutes to play. The Bears have won the last three regular-season meetings in Collegeville, two in overtime and the other by one point.

Live stats/video: http://livestats.prestosports.com/ursinus/

Live audio (WMUH): http://www.muhlenberg.edu/wmuh/stream.html

Women’s Basketball at Ursinus (Saturday, 1:00)

The Mules are locked into a semifinal playoff game against Franklin & Marshall. They can earn the No. 2  seed with a win and the right combination of other results, but all that impacts is what color jersey they’ll wear in their first playoff game.

There are some team and individual milestones on the horizon. Muhlenberg (19-5, 14-5) will reach the 20-win plateau for the fifth straight year by beating Ursinus. In the College’s athletic history, the only team to post five consecutive 20-win seasons was volleyball (1991-95).

Senior Alexandra Chili, who on Wednesday broke the school record for field goals made by a basketball player (male or female), is within 57 points of the CC career record of 1,965. She hit game-winning last-second shots in two of the three games she’s played at Ursinus.

Ursinus (13-11, 12-7) has clinched a playoff berth but needs a win to secure a first-round home game. The Mules won the first meeting, 72-55, but the Bears are a different team at home, where they are 8-1.

Live stats/video: http://livestats.prestosports.com/ursinus/

Live audio (WMUH): http://www.muhlenberg.edu/wmuh/stream.html

Track & Field at Keogh Invitational (Friday, 5:00)

The Mule teams will try to get a few more athletes qualified for the CC Championships at the site of last year’s conference meet.

Wrestling at Scranton with Johns Hopkins (Saturday, noon)

The wrestlers complete their pre-championship circuit of CC opponents. The Mules are 15-12 in contested matches against CC foes.

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In honor of Valentine’s Day, we asked a few of our student-athletes what they LOVE about being a Mule.

Ryan Lagomarsino (Junior, Men’s Basketball)

First of all I love all of my Lady Mules and the relationships I’ve been able to build with them. I also love how close everyone on both teams are and how we always seem to have a good time together both on and off the court. Finally, I love the recognition we get off the court and how we always have the best and rowdiest fans, especially for our past few Saturday games. Seeing all of my friends and peers out there supporting us means the world to me.

Jamie Weiss (Senior, Women’s Soccer)

Being a student athlete allows you the opportunity to compete. It teaches you time management skills, is a great form of exercise, gives you a strong support system, and you know that you always have a friend. It gives you a great Muhlenberg experience because you get to excel in and out of the classroom setting, and allows you to experience different aspects of college life. Muhlenberg is a great tight-knit community where there are a lot of student fans who come out and support you, which is very nice!

Bryan Wilson (Junior, Football)

The number one thing about being a Muhlenberg student-athlete, and student for that matter, is being able to work out in the Life Sports Center. The facilities are incredible, and I particularly like the fact that the weight room overlooks the football field in order to keep your ultimate goals in sight. I also really like the support staff that we have at Muhlenberg, from the coaches to the equipment room staff to the athletic trainers, and faculty and other students. It truly feels like everyone works together to be successful.

Leeann Lanza (Sophomore, Basketball)

What I love about being a Mule is knowing all of my fellow athletes on campus. Every team is very supportive of the others. I also love the individual team aspect. Coming to college without knowing anyone is a very scary thing and when I came to Muhlenberg as a freshman, I found it extremely easy to transition having 14 automatic friends. It can be like a family, where you’re doing things with these people all the time. Being a Lady Mule on the women’s basketball team is such a rewarding experience for me because I have met some of the most amazing people I will ever meet on or off the court. I get really excited when one coaches of the other sports knows who I am too, just because I’m an athlete. The entire athletics staff as well as professors are so supportive and it is so great to see all of the Muhlenberg pride! I have had many great opportunities through Muhlenberg in academics and athletics and I consider myself so lucky to be a student-athlete here.

Weekend Preview

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Seniors take the spotlight in a weekend that features three noteworthy events.

Track & Field at Lafayette-Rider Games (Friday, 1:00)

The Mule teams compete at the Armory in their last big meet before the Centennial Conference Championships in two weeks. The track in Manhattan has been very good to the Muhlenberg runners, particularly senior Peter Rice, who broke the school record in the 200 and 400 at this meet last year. He then returned to the Armory eight days later and broke the 400 record again, hitting the NCAA qualifying standard.

Results: http://www.armorytrack.com/

Basketball doubleheader vs. McDaniel (Saturday, women at 2:00, men at 4:00)

It’s rare that individual accomplishments would be put ahead of team goals in basketball, but Alexandra Chili and Spencer Liddic are two rare student-athletes. Unless the Mules qualify to host playoff games, this will be the last time they play at Memorial Hall.

Both have had incredible careers on and off the court. Both were preseason All-Americans and are Centennial Conference all-time leaders in a major statistical category (Chili in three-pointers, Liddic in rebounds). Chili is the all-time leading scorer in Muhlenberg basketball history (men or women); Liddic is likely to move into fourth place tomorrow:

  • Alexandra Chili, 2009-12 – 1865 points
  • Bob McClure, 1968-71 – 1788 points
  • Felicia Perryman, 1990-93 – 1690 points
  • Dennis Adams, 1991-94 – 1638 points
  • Spencer Liddic, 2009-12 – 1631 points

Both also were named to the Academic All-District first team recently and are candidates for Academic All-America honors. It is quite remarkable for two student-athletes like this to be at the same school, playing the same sport and in the same class year.

As for the games, both are key for Mule teams in search of playoff berths with three games remaining in the regular season.

The women (17-5, 12-5) are tied for third in the CC and can clinch a playoff spot with a win. They beat McDaniel 77-64 in the first meeting. Although the Green Terror is a little down this year (10-13, 7-11) it is coming off a 76-74 upset of first-place Johns Hopkins and has a history of spoiling Muhlenberg’s parties, winning three CC playoff games at Memorial Hall in the last 11 years.

The men (14-8, 8-7) are in sole possession of fifth place in a tightly packed CC. Johns Hopkins and Washington are both a game ahead, Haverford and Ursinus (next week’s opponents for the Mules)both a game back. Muhlenberg came back from an eight-point deficit in the final two minutes to pull out a 71-70 win at McDaniel in January. The Green Terror (7-15, 4-11), which is nationally ranked in scoring defense, has won only two of its last 20 games in Allentown.

Live stats (women): http://www.muhlenberg.edu/sports/wbblive/xlive.htm

Live stats (men): http://www.muhlenberg.edu/sports/mbblive/xlive.htm

Live video (both): http://www.livestream.com/muhlenberg

Live audio (both): http://www.muhlenberg.edu/wmuh/stream.html

 

Board Games

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If Spencer Liddic was a little bit better as a shooter, he might not be the Centennial Conference’s all-time leading rebounder.

That comment is made in jest, of course. Liddic has an excellent career field-goal percentage of .525, and with 1,615 points is just 24 away from second on the Muhlenberg men’s basketball all-time scoring list.

Liddic tied the CC record for career rebounds in Saturday’s win against Franklin & Marshall and will most likely move into sole possession of first place tomorrow at Dickinson. Of his 947 rebounds, 74 came off his own missed shots – by far the most of any player.

What Mule teammate has Liddic rebounded the most? How about players on other teams? And on what day of the week does he rebound the best?

The answers to all those questions and more in our breakdown of Liddic’s 947 rebounds:

• by type

  • offensive rebounds 344 (3.5 per game)
  • defensive rebounds 603 (6.1 per game)

• by class year

  • freshman 185 (7.1per game)
  • sophomore 281 (10.4 per game)
  • junior 246 (9.8 per game)
  • senior 235 (11.2 per game)

• by site

  • home games 489 (9.8 per game)
  • road games 406 (9.2 per game)
  • neutral site games 52 (10.4 per game)

• by month

  • November 212 (11.2 per game)
  • December 127 (9.1 per game)
  • January 402 (9.6 per game)
  • February 206 (8.6 per game)

• by day of the week

  • Sunday 49 (9.8 per game)
  • Monday 90 (9.0 per game)
  • Tuesday 89 (9.9 per game)
  • Wednesday 240 (8.9 per game)
  • Thursday 54 (9.0 per game)
  • Friday 38 (9.5 per game)
  • Saturday 387 (10.2 per game)

• by game type

  • Centennial Conference games 644 (9.6 per game)
  • CC playoff games 36 (9.0 per game)
  • Scotty Wood Tournament games 83 (10.4 per game)
  • other games 184 (9.2 per game)

• by opponent (more than two games, in order of average)

  • Washington 105 (13.1 per game)
  • Swarthmore 91 (11.4 per game)
  • Gettysburg 88 (11.0 per game)
  • Moravian 57 (9.5 per game)
  • McDaniel 64 (9.1 per game)
  • Johns Hopkins 72 (9.0 per game)
  • Dickinson 53 (8.8 per game)
  • DeSales 34 (8.5 per game)
  • Franklin & Marshall 80 (8.0 per game)
  • Ursinus 64 (8.0 per game)
  • Haverford 63 (7.9 per game)

• by Muhlenberg player (20 or more)

  • Spencer Liddic 74
  • Evan Tozer 40
  • Austin Curry 33
  • Ryan Foster 27
  • Malique Killing 24
  • Brian Frankoski 23

• by opposing player (10 or more)

  • Kevin Breslin, Washington 15
  • Georgio Milligan, Franklin & Marshall 12
  • Will Gates, Swarthmore 11
  • James McNally, Franklin & Marshall 11
  • Sal Schittino, Washington 11
  • Andrew Powers, Gettysburg 10

Rivalry Reviewed

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Thirteen days before Spencer Liddic was born on February 27, 1990, a great rivalry was born.

On Valentine’s Day 1990, the Muhlenberg men’s basketball team upset top-ranked Franklin & Marshall, 78-74, for the first of its six home wins against nationally ranked Diplomat teams. The latest came Saturday when Liddic, now the Mule captain, tied two Centennial Conference records in a 60-58 victory against eighth-ranked F&M.

“It didn’t take very long for F&M to become a great rival. It started on our end because they were a program that was where we were trying to get to,” said Muhlenberg head coach Scott McClary, who has been on the coaching staff for five of the six upsets.

“However, no rivalry is truly a rivalry unless both sides are winning games. Our consistent success against F&M here at Memorial Hall (10 of the last 15) has made this one of the best rivalries around!”

Here’s a closer look at the six wins:

February 14, 1990 – Muhlenberg 78, Franklin & Marshall 74

Franklin & Marshall came in with a record of 22-1, a 19-game winning streak and a No. 1 ranking in Division III. Muhlenberg was 10-13 and desperately in need of a win to stay alive in the MAC Southwest playoff hunt with just two games left in the regular season. Led by 21 points from Tom Lutz, the Mules made a 37-29 halftime lead stand up.

F&M went on to finish with a record of 24-4, and although the Mules beat Moravian in the finale, they did not make the playoffs.

February 19, 1992 – Muhlenberg 74, Franklin & Marshall 66

Franklin & Marshall came in with a record of 21-2 and a No. 8 ranking in Division III. Muhlenberg was 14-9 and in a three-way tie for second in the MAC Southwest. The Mules trailed 41-33 at halftime, but went 21-of-22 from the foul line in the second half to pull out the win. Muhlenberg was 6-of-7 from three-point range in the game, with Ernie Koschineg going 4-for-4.

F&M went on to finish with a record of 26-4. Muhlenberg did qualify for the MAC South playoffs but lost to Johns Hopkins in the first round to end up 16-10.

February 25, 1995 – Muhlenberg 88, Franklin & Marshall 86

The gold standard for Muhlenberg upset wins came in the Centennial Conference championship game at a packed Memorial Hall. Franklin & Marshall came in 25-0 and ranked No. 1 in Division III. Muhlenberg was 17-8 and was on the bubble for an NCAA Tournament bid.

The Mules shot an insane 62.7 percent from the field, and Koschineg scored 26 points – again going 4-for-4 from behind the arc. Muhlenberg led 43-32 at halftime and by 10 with about four minutes left before the Diplomats made a frantic late charge that fell just short.

Muhlenberg won its first conference championship since 1970, but the euphoria was short-lived when the Mules found they had to go to F&M for the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Diplomats won the rematch, 69-54, and went on to finish with a record of 27-2.

February 7, 1996 – Muhlenberg 66, Franklin & Marshall 49

The rather one-sided score suggests this was not one of F&M’s vintage teams. Not so – the Diplomats came into this game 19-0 and ranked No. 2 in Division III. They had won 50 consecutive regular-season games, were 35-0 all-time in Centennial regular-season contests, and they would go on to reach the NCAA “Final Four.”

Muhlenberg, which entered the game at 10-10 and clinging to a half-game lead for second place in CC East, took the lead on a dunk by Chris Bedell 6:39 into the first half and never looked back.

The Mules finished with the second seed in the CC East and had to travel to the West top seed – F&M. Their season ended at 13-12 with a 72-59 loss to the Diplomats.

January 13, 2011 – Muhlenberg 71, Franklin & Marshall 67

Franklin & Marshall was 10-3 and ranked 19th in Division III, and Muhlenberg was 7-6 and had recently lost five in a row. After trailing by eight points in the first half, the Mules took their first lead with 12:53 left in the second on a layup by Liddic. Coincidentally, that basket also put him over 1,000 points in his career.

F&M took its final lead at 59-58 with 5:39 left, but Muhlenberg responded with an 8-0 run that included a three-pointer by Austin Curry, who was 5-for-8 on threes and finished with a game-high 22 points.

The Diplomats went on to win the CC championship, while the Mules finished 13-12 and did not make the playoffs.

February 4, 2012 – Muhlenberg 60, Franklin & Marshall 58

Franklin & Marshall came in with a record of 19-1 and ranked No. 8 in Division III. Muhlenberg was 13-7. A tight second half that featured six lead changes and four ties came down to a battle of free throws. The Diplomats hit four straight to take a 56-55 lead with 1:51 left, but the Mules hit the next five, including four by Curry.

Liddic finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds, tying the CC all-time records for career rebounds (947) and double-doubles (41).

“Saturday reminded me so much of 1995, and we had over half of the team [back for Alumni Day] in the building,” said McClary.

So there you are – six nationally ranked Franklin & Marshall teams that had combined for seven losses before traveling to Allentown returned home with another loss. And as the students showed in 1995, when they lifted Koschineg on their shoulders, and Saturday, when they stormed the court, there’s nothing quite like beating your rival.

“Everyone who has been a part of the Muhlenberg men’s basketball program has a lot of good memories,” said McClary. “And I guarantee you that four out of the top five on everyone’s list is beating the Diplomats!”

 

Weekend Preview

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As the end of the season draws closer, the contests grow bigger in importance. And that’s certainly the case this weekend, with only 15 days left in the regular season.

Men’s Basketball vs. Franklin & Marshall (Saturday, 4:00)

Franklin & Marshall is 19-1, ranked eighth in Division III and closing in on the top seed for the Centennial Conference playoffs. Muhlenberg is 13-7 and tied for fourth place in the CC, just a game ahead of two other teams with five games to go in the regular season.

While it’s obviously a big game for the Mules, what makes this the Marquee Matchup is the history of the series. Muhlenberg has five wins against nationally ranked F&M teams at Memorial Hall since the early 1990s, including a 71-67 win last year when the Dips were ranked 19th. The Mules have won nine of the last 14 against F&M at home, and only one of F&M’s wins was by more than five points.

Then there’s the presence of two of the “marquee” players in the CC. On the league’s all-time lists, F&M senior Georgio Milligan is second in assists and steals, seventh in scoring and 11th in blocked shots. Muhlenberg senior Spencer Liddic is second in rebounds and double-doubles, 10th in scoring and tied for 16th in blocked shots. He needs 12 rebounds and a double-double to tie the CC all-time marks.

Live stats: www.muhlenberg.edu/sports/mbblive/xlive.htm

Live video: www.livestream.com/muhlenberg

Live audio (WMUH): www.muhlenberg.edu/wmuh/stream.html

Women’s Basketball vs. Franklin & Marshall (Saturday, 2:00)

This is a key CC matchup between two teams that are tied for second place in the loss column, two games behind Johns Hopkins. Franklin & Marshall is 14-6 overall, 11-4 in the CC, while Muhlenberg is 15-4, 10-4.

The Mules, who won the first meeting, 62-54, looked like their former selves in beating Swarthmore, 81-46, on Wednesday. The Diplomats are coming off two impressive wins of their own, by 13 points at home vs. Haverford and by 14 points at Washington.

The top three scorers in the CC will be on display in F&M junior Alexa Barbush (17.2 ppg), Muhlenberg senior Alexandra Chili (16.5 ppg) and Muhlenberg junior Alita Zabrecky (15.4 ppg). The Diplomats haven’t won in Memorial Hall since 2000.

Live stats: www.muhlenberg.edu/sports/wbblive/xlive.htm

Live video: www.livestream.com/muhlenberg

Live audio (WMUH): www.muhlenberg.edu/wmuh/stream.html

Track & Field at New Balance Collegiate Invitational (Friday) and DeSchriver Invitational (Saturday)

Muhlenberg will send a women’s distance medley relay to the Armory tonight for one of the most prestigious indoor meets. The Mule quartet is the only Division III team in its heat. The rest of the team will also compete against athletes from higher divisions at East Stroudsburg on Saturday.

New Balance entries: http://www.armorytrack.com/armory/nbci-women-2012

Wrestling at Washington and Lee with McDaniel and NYU (Saturday, 10:00)

The Mule wrestlers will get to preview more of their opponents for the upcoming Centennial Conference Championships. New York University is in its first year as an associate member of the CC in wrestling.