Feb. 14, 2009

Box Score

BALTIMORE, MD - Junior Ryan Foster drained a three-pointer with 19 seconds remaining - his third triple in the final five minutes - and then blocked a potential game-tying jumper with five seconds remaining to lift visiting Muhlenberg to a 60-58 victory over host Johns Hopkins in Centennial Conference men's basketball action Saturday afternoon. The win is the sixth in the last eight games for the Mules, who improve to 14-9 overall and 10-6 in the Centennial. With the loss the Blue Jays slip to 12-11 overall and 7-9 in the Centennial.

The Blue Jays led 53-51 with just under five minutes remaining when Foster nailed the first of his three, three-pointers to give the Mules a 54-53 lead. Neither team scored for nearly three minutes before Collin Kamm converted a conventional three-point play to give the Blue Jays a 56-54 lead with just over two minutes on the clock.

A layup by Kamm 45 seconds later gave the Blue Jays 58-54 lead with 1:16 remaining, but Foster would single-handedly lift the Mules down the stretch. He answered Kamm's three-point play with his second three-pointer down the stretch and then made the Blue Jays pay for a late turnover. After calling timeout with eight seconds on the shot clock, the Blue Jays turned the ball over on the inbounds play and Foster buried what proved to be the game-winning shot in transition with 19 seconds remaining. Hopkins set up for a potential game-tying shot out of a timeout with 13 seconds remaining, but Foster blocked Mike Henrici's 18-foot jumper and the Mules Brian Frankoski secured the rebound and Muhlenberg's first win at Johns Hopkins since 2001.

The Blue Jays led 34-28 at the half and scored 12 of the first 18 points of the second half to extend the lead to 46-34 with 15:36 remaining. Kamm splashed home a three-pointer and scored five points during the spree, which also included a three-pointer by senior Phil Beggans.

The Mules tightened on defense and used a 15-3 run over a seven-minute span to knot the game at 49. A three-point play by Obi Nwizugbo jump-started the run, which also included six points from Peter Barnes and a three-pointer by Evan Tozer. The teams traded baskets for the next several minutes until Foster's first three-pointer ignited his late-game heroics.

Foster was one of four Muhlenberg players to score 12 points and he hit 4-of-6 three-pointers. Tozer, Barnes and Mike Bernardini also scored a dozen for the Mules, who got 30 of their 60 points off the bench. The Mules held a 46-37 rebounding advantage and bounced back after missing their first 11 shots of the game.

Kamm led the Blue Jays with 14 points, 13 of which came in the second half. Beggans added 10 points and senior Ryan Purcell added a career-high nine points. Junior Andrew Farber-Miller scored eight points and added 12 rebounds for the Blue Jays, who now sit one-game out of the fifth and final spot in the upcoming Centennial Conference Tournament.

Johns Hopkins will host McDaniel on Wednesday, February 18 at 8 pm in the final home game of the season. Muhlenberg will host Dickinson on the 18th at 7:30 pm.

- 30 -