BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- Moravian College continues its look back at the 2015-16 athletic campaign with the No. 3 highlight in the Top 10 Exciting Games – the men's basketball team defeating rival Muhlenberg College in the final game of the season with a home court record 107 points.
The Greyhounds, who were 11-14 on the season under first-year Head Coach Justin Potts '00, earned a 107-98 victory against the Mules as Moravian finished the 2015-16 campaign by winning four of its last five games.
"We played our best basketball of the year at the end which is a sign of the guys staying with the process and believing in things," stated Potts. "I think as the season went on, the players became more comfortable with everything and really started to find a rhythm at the end of the year. Our young guys grew up during the course of the season and the veterans did a good job of leading which allowed us to play well in February. As coach you want your team to be improving all year long, and I think we were able to do that which is credit to the guys working hard all year."
The Hounds would race out of the gate and score 61 points in the first 20 minutes of action against the Mules, and Moravian's 107 points were a school record for a game played in Johnston Hall, passing the old record of 106 versus Dickinson College set back in the 1959-60 season. The program record for points in a game is 117. The game also marked the first time that the Greyhounds had hit the century mark in regulation since a 104-96 victory over No. 1 Wilkes University on February 3, 2001 when Coach Potts was in his first year as an assistant with the Greyhounds.
"We really shot it well that night and actually shot it well the last few weeks of the season," noted Potts. "As a running pressing team we want to play a high possession game and the better we shoot the ball the better chance we have of getting the tempo up. This game fit right into the way we like to play and our guys did a good job of sharing the basketball which allowed us to get great shots and also making adjustments in the press which in turn allowed us to create the tempo we want."
Junior forward Brandon McGuire was one of four Greyhounds to reach double figures in the game with 26 points and a game-high 13 rebounds as he recorded his ninth double-double of the season and the 18th of his career.
"I think it was a really good way to end the season with a big home win against our rival Muhlenberg," McGuire said. "In my three years of playing them, we have only beat them once and to beat them on our home floor in front of a packed crowed made it all the better. With our team scoring 107 points that just goes to show how explosive or offense can be on any given night."
McGuire ended up making the Landmark All-Conference Second Team later in the week after the season-ending victory, and he led the Hounds with averages of 17.4 points and 9.0 rebounds per game to go with 33 assists, 25 blocked shots and 19 steals. McGuire heads into his senior season with 847 points and 356 rebounds in his career.
"During the season to improve my skills of rebounding and scoring, I was just trying to adjust accordingly to the new system and style of play and getting comfortable in the process," explained McGuire. "Also being in shape is the key to our style of play because the better shape you are in the better the results and productivity will be during your minuets. Lastly just like all of my other teammates have been doing I try to get myself in the gym as much as I possibly can on my free time to do small drills such as dribbling, shooting and layups."
The Mules scored first in the game before freshman guard Jimmy Murray connected on the first of his six three-pointers in the contest to give the Hounds a 3-2 lead. Muhlenberg moved back in front before Murray hit another long three-pointer for a 6-5 edge, and Murray finished the night with a career and game-high 30 points. The Mules tied the game at 8-8 before McGuire gave Moravian the lead for good with a three-pointer at the 16:54 mark.
"The three point shot has really helped me with my overall game," noted McGuire. "The reason why I say this is because now other big men in the league have to respect my three point shot and because of that it brings them out of their comfort zone which in return helps me with driving the ball and making passes from the top of the key."
The Greyhounds began to pull away, eventually taking a 31-19 lead on a free throw from freshman forward O'Neil Holder with 11:31 before the intermission. Holder finished the nigh with 12 points to go with five rebounds.
Muhlenberg answered with an 11-0 run to cut the Hounds' advantage to a point, 31-30, before a three-point play by McGuire at the 8:14 mark. With Moravian leading by six, 46-40, sophomore guard Matt Cardonne connected on three straight three-pointers to push the lead to 55-42 with just 2:01 until the intermission. Cardonne was 5-for-9 behind the three-point line in the game and scored 17 points.
McGuire scored a lay-up with 1:01 on the clock to give Moravian a 61-46 lead, and the Mules scored late in the half to send the teams to the locker rooms with the Greyhounds leading 61-48.
"Brandon had a great game," stated Potts. "He scored it well and did a great job rebounding the ball at the defensive end, which allowed us to get out in transition. His ability to score in the post but also step away and shoot threes makes him a tough cover. Brandon did a great job of starting runs for us and stopping them for Muhlenberg. Overall on the season, he was very consistent and did a great job of being a leader for our young team. I was really proud of the season he had and look forward to his senior year."
Moravian opened the second half with McGuire scoring on a three-point play just 16 seconds into action as the lead reach 16 points, 64-48. Murray hit another three-pointer with 15:29 still to play as Moravian pushed its lead to 76-60.
The Mules scored the next eight points before a lay-up from McGuire at 12:44. Muhlenberg continued to fight back and moved within four points, 85-81, before junior guard Sean Hanna hit a lay-up for two of his eight points. Freshman guard Will Brazukas put Moravian over the century mark with a free throw with 58 seconds to play.
"Winning the final four out of five left us on a good note coming into next season," stated McGuire. "The style of play that Coach Potts has introduced to us is like no other team in the league. Offensively we have the freedom to shoot at any moment in the game and or shot clock. As long as we are taking good shots with the right intentions Coach Potts trusts our decision making as college basketball players. Defensively we press the entire game and basically try running the other team out of the gym. Lastly, Coach Potts has always told us move onto the next play and that has helped with the success of many players such as myself."
Coach Potts has now been on both sides of the rivalry as a player and a head coach.
"Obviously any win is a good win but when its a rival there is always a little more to the game," Potts commented. "It was great to get the win against Muhlenberg, I was proud of the guys and happy for them to end the season on a W and also win a rivalry game. There is along history between the two schools so to be able to play in the game and then coach in one was exciting. I was really happy for our guys because of the effort and passion they played with."
You can read the original game story at http://moraviansports.com/sports/mbkb/2015-16/releases/20160223yl9wwa.
Game number two of the countdown will be released on Monday, July 18.