Posted: Nov 15, 2023
ALLENTOWN, Pa. --- The Moravian University men's basketball squad outscored host Muhlenberg College, 53-38, in the second half to post an 83-66 non-conference victory in Memorial Hall Wednesday evening.
How It Happened
- The Hounds scored the first basket of the night on a jumper from junior forward Gary Francis. The Mules tied the contest three times before taking a 9-8 lead at the 14:32 mark. The Blue & Grey answered with a 13-2 run to build a 21-11 advantage after a three-pointer by sophomore guard Porter Kelly with 9:14 until the intermission
- Muhlenberg closed within four points while two free throws by sophomore forward Marquis Ratcliff and another three-pointer by Kelly had the edge back at nine points, 26-17, with three and a half minutes left in the opening half. The Mules countered with an 11-4 run to end the half and cut Moravian's lead to 30-28 as the squads headed to the locker room
- The Mules hit the first basket of the second half before Ratcliff drained back-to-back three-pointers that gave the Greyhounds the lead for good. Moravian's advantage went back into double digits at 47-37 on a three-pointer from senior guard Alex Dietz four and a half minutes into the second half
- The Hounds kept the lead in double figures for most of the rest of the contest Muhlenberg getting no closer than seven points. Francis gave the Blue & Grey their largest lead of the night at 17 points and the final score as he drained a pair of free throws with 29.9 seconds left to go
Inside the Numbers
- Moravian had four players in double figures led by Ratcliff, who tossed in 24 points while going 10-for-10 at the foul line to go along with three rebounds and a pair of blocked shots
- Francis netted a career-high 22 points with four boards while Kelly recorded 13 points, six rebounds and four assists
- Dietz contributed 11 points, four rebounds and four assists for the Hounds while sophomore guard Liam Cummiskey had six points, three rebounds and a pair of blocked shots
- Freshman guard Taylor Perlmutter added five points and two assists while junior forward Michael Leonardo had six rebounds and two points and junior forward Nate Santiago grabbed two boards
- The Greyhounds connected on 26-of-49 field goal attempts (53.1 percent) including 17-of-25 in the second half, and the Blue & Grey made 10-of-15 three-pointers and 21-of-26 free throws
- Moravian finished the night with a 34-30 edge on the glass
- The win snapped a three-game losing streak to the Mules as the Greyhounds defeated Muhlenberg for the first time since a 79-75 victory in Allentown on December 15, 2018
Up Next for the Greyhounds
- Saturday, November 18 vs. Rutgers-Camden, 2:00 p.m.
- Tuesday, November 21 vs. DeSales University, 8:00 p.m.