By D3sports.com

When you get to this point in the season, there is significant separation between the teams who can handle the strain of competing in the national tournament and those who struggle through. Muhlenberg's women's basketball team, which takes on Brandeis in the round of 16 at Amherst on Friday night, has built its season on being tough enough to handle what's at stake.

The Mules escaped the magic that has claimed many opponents at Bowdoin's Morrell Gym, winning 58-57 after Bowdoin missed a last-second shot. It marked the first time that Bowdoin had lost either a NESCAC or NCAA Tournament game on its home floor and the first time that Muhlenberg had advanced this far in the tournament.

"If that last shot had gone in, it would have felt like a 19-hour bus ride home," Muhlenberg coach Ron Rohn said with a laugh, of a trip that took about eight hours to complete.

"This team has never gotten uptight. I think we actually felt more pressure those last two games of the regular season than we did last weekend."

Rohn is referring to how Muhlenberg became the first women's basketball team in the Centennial Conference to go unbeaten in league play, but it wasn't easy. Rohn told the team in one meeting that their job was to make sure the conference championship trophy, won the previous season, never left the building. When the wins started to pile up, the goal shifted to running the table.

The pressure to achieve that feat mounted at the end of the season, when the Mules had to win back-to-back games at Dickinson and Ursinus. They squeaked out a two-point win at Dickinson, but trailed Ursinus by 15 late in the first half, and by five with 50 seconds left. McKeon finished with the team's first triple-double in 20 years, and Muhlenberg scored the final eight points to win, the last coming on an Alex Chili 3-pointer with 1.2 seconds left for a 68-65 win.

"I knew it was either an air ball or a swish, and I was hoping for the latter," Chili said with a laugh. "That was an awesome way to win."

The conference tournament, back on their home floor, was a little more comfortable, with the Mules beating McDaniel by 16 and Johns Hopkins by 21. The reward was an eight-hour bus trip to Maine and, after a first-round win against Westfield State, the matchup with Bowdoin.

"To get to 20-0 was a lot of pressure," said senior guard Lauren Boyle. "After we miraculously won at Ursinus, a lot of weight was lifted off us. We could play to win instead of not to lose. The experience at Ursinus was definitely good for the national tournament."

Muhlenberg has a strong chance to win this weekend because it is a tough matchup, as it has been all season.

"Our biggest strength is that we don't have a glaring weakness," Rohn said. "We're pretty balanced on offense and defense. We're pretty balanced inside and outside."

The addition of Chili, a freshman, to a lineup that also features two sophomores has had a significant impact. Chili, at 5-11, has a nice touch on both her pass and her three-point shot, with some of those skills picked up from her father, Terry, who played center at Duke in the 1970s. Chili had what one opposing coach referred to as "Larry Bird range" and isn't shy about stepping back for deep three -pointers. She's made 94 this season, one shy of having the most in Division III, at a 38 percent clip, and leads the team in scoring at 16 points per game.

"We've never had someone who always hit the open shot like that," said Boyle, the team's second leading scorer at 14.1 points per game.

Kelly McKeon's improvement from freshman to sophomore year has also been significant, to the point where she's averaging 34 minutes a game at point guard. Both Rohn and Boyle referred to her as the team's MVP. McKeon is only 5-5, but leads the team in rebounds at better than eight per game. Her assist/turnover rate is better than 2-to-1, and ranks 10th in the nation, and she's tied with Chili for the team lead in steals with 42.

"She doesn't turn the ball over, she makes big plays, and she's tough as nails," Rohn said.

"The way that Kelly carries herself on the floor," Boyle added, "we know we'll be okay."

"I love our defensive intensity," said Chili, who acknowledged her defense is "infinitely better" than it was at season�s start. "That stems from Kelly. She�s the one who picks the team up and turns up the defense. We want it known that we�re a strong defensive team as well."

Boyle is the vocal leader on the floor and a difference-maker as a playmaker. Some of the folks who watched the Bowdoin-Muhlenberg game said she was the top player the Polar Bears had faced all season (39 points in the two games there helped in that regard).

"Lauren Boyle been the best all-around player for four yrs that we've ever had," Rohn said. "She's at the top of every list. She is a player who can get her own shot off the dribble. That's a great weapon to have at this point in the season, someone who can get points on her own."

The Mules rank among the nations leaders in both fewest turnovers and assist/turnover rate. That's the sign of a team that is composed and ready for the moment at hand.

"Our biggest strength is that we don't have a glaring weakness," Rohn said. "I'm sure everyone says this at this time of year, but this team gets along well. Each step of the way when we keep winning, its more exciting for them to keep playing another week than whatever records they've accomplished."