Centennial Conference

Washington is 4-0 in the Centennial Conference for the first time in four years and 7-2 overall after registering a 13-8 victory over Muhlenberg Saturday. The Shoremen are a half-game ahead of No. 8 Dickinson and No. 20 Gettysburg - who are both 3-0 in the league - and enjoying their unfamiliar spot atop the standings. “I think it's pretty big because we're all about conference play in terms of qualifying for the conference tournament,” coach Jeff Shirk said last week. “And anything can happen once you qualify for the tournament and the only way you're guaranteed to get to the NCAA Tournament is with that automatic bid. I think with our focus and emphasis on conference play, being able to get a quick start is really big so that you're not always playing from behind.

College basketball Hopkins men clinch Centennial berth Tim McCarty scored 25 points and made a 3-pointer with 1:34 left to secure a 65-60 win by host Johns Hopkins (14-9, 10-6) over Ursinus (8-15, 7-9) on Saturday, earning the Blue Jays a Centennial Conference playoff berth. ... Maurice Williams had a game-high 23 points and 14 rebounds as host Frostburg State (12-11, 9-5 Capital Athletic Conference) won, 77-74, in overtime against Salisbury (12-11, 5-9)

The visiting UMBC men's basketball team continued to struggle Tuesday night, losing to Hartford, 74-57. The Retrievers (2-15, 1-4 America East) have lost four straight, and the Hawks (4-14, 4-2) are on a two-game winning streak. UMBC, led by Ryan Cook with 12 points, kept things close at first. The Retrievers took their fourth and final lead on a three-point play by Quentin Jones for a 19-18 lead with 8:30 left in the first half. It was all Hawks after that, with their lead going from six points at halftime to 18 in the second half.

Adam Spengler scored a career-high 28 points and visiting Johns Hopkins earned a come-from-behind victory over Muhlenberg, 75-56, on Tuesday night. The Mules (9-3, 3-3 Centennial Conference) used an 11-0 run to take a 38-28 lead at halftime. In the second half, the Blue Jays (8-4, 4-1) outscored them 47-18. A layup by Alex Pandrangi gave Hopkins the lead for good with 12:53 left at 45-44. Spengler went 8-for-8 from the field, 5-for-5 from 3-point range and 7-for-8 from the free-throw line.

Loyola used a 13-2 stretch over a 6 1/2-minute stretch in the first half to build a 13-point lead and senior forward Kaitlin Grant scored 19 points to lead the Greyhounds to a 68-50 MAAC home win over Siena. The victory secured the No. 6 seed in next weekend's conference tournament. More games: Playing in their final home game, Towson's five seniors accounted for 44 points in a 56-45 win over Delaware in Colonial Athletic Association action. The Tigers (14-14, 8-9 CAA)

Capitals Playing short, Washington scores five in 3rd, wins, 7-4 Tomas Fleischmann scored twice during Washington's five-goal third period, and the short-handed Capitals beat the visiting Florida Panthers, 7-4, Saturday night for a sweep of their home-and-home series. Washington played a third straight game without two-time NHL Most Valuable Player Alex Ovechkin, who has an upper body injury. The Capitals were also without injured defensemen Mike Green and Jeff Schultz, both of whom were hurt in a 4-1 win Friday night.

Freshman quarterback Emmanuel Yeager threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Larry Dixon to lift Bowie State over visiting Shaw, 31-24, in double overtime in the Prince George's Classic. Yeager, the game's Most Valuable Player, completed 15 of 22 passes for 128 yards, and Rodney Webb rushed for a game- and career-high 174 yards for the Bulldogs (3-2, 1-1 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference). Shaw took a 14-0 lead after the first quarter on a 58-yard fumble recovery by LaMichael Howell and a 1-yard touchdown run by Raymon Williams.

Running back Andrew Kase rushed for 183 yards and three touchdowns, and quarterback Hewitt Tomlin threw for 243 yards and one touchdown and rushed for one to lead host Johns Hopkins past Gettysburg, 41-23, at Homewood Field on Friday night. The Blue Jays (2-1, 1-0 Centennial Conference) have won 13 of their past 15 against the Bullets (0-3, 0-1). After a 32-yard field goal by Alex Lachman to open the scoring, the Blue Jays scored touchdowns on five straight possessions to take a 38-3 lead early in the third quarter.

Morgan State 2008 record: 6-6 (4-4), fifth place, Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Coach: Donald Hill-Eley (36-43, 8th season) Offensive/defensive starters returning: 6/6 Most important returning player: RB Devan James. He rushed for 1,337 yards last year, 65 shy of the school record set by Chad Simpson (Indianapolis Colts). A repeat would make James Morgan's all-time rushing leader and take a load off erratic QB Carlton Jackson. Others to know: DE Justin Lawrence and DB Darren McKhan Story lines: Morgan lost its offensive and defensive coordinators to MEAC rival North Carolina A&T. But if Jackson comes through, the Bears could land higher than their predicted sixth-place finish (as voted by league coaches and sports information directors)