Box Score
Scranton, PA – Visiting Immaculata University built a 19-point halftime lead and never looked back on their way to a 78-64 victory over Marywood University in a Colonial States Athletic Conference women's basketball semifinal game on Wednesday evening. The Mighty Macs, now 19-8 on the season, advance to Saturday's CSAC Final at Neumann University. The Pacers see their record slip to 19-7 and will await word on a potential birth in the ECAC Tournament.
Immaculata would build a 14-6 lead just over five minutes into Wednesday night's game when Rachel Denis drained a three-pointer, but Marywood responded with a quick 7-0 run to cut their deficit to one-point on a Lauren Rogan lay-up. The Mighty Macs responded with a 7-point run of their own to hold a 21-13 advantage with 10:308 to play in the first half.
Leading 32-21 with 4:11 remaining in the opening 20 minutes, Immaculata used a 10-2 run to close the half and take a 42-23 into the locker room behind all-around strong shooting including a 53.1 percent effort from the floor including a 42.9 percent effort from three-point land. Denis led the Mighty Macs with 12 points and six rebounds in the first half while Chrissy Esbensen added seven assists.
Marywood struggled on the first half, shooting just 29 percent from the floor and 25 percent from beyond the arc. Rogan's seven points led the Pacers in the opening stanza while Marielle Thorsen and Mariah Schaeffer each added six points.
Marywood opened the second half with a 14-2 run that cut their deficit to eight points at 42-34 with 15:44 to play on a lay-in with a Schaeffer lay-in. After Chelsea McTigue responded with a lay-up of her own, Rogan brought the Pacers to within seven points by canning a trey, but Denis answered with two three-pointers sandwiched around a traditional three-point play to single-handedly take the Mighty Macs on a 9-0 run that put them up 53-37 with 11:41 remaining.
The Pacers narrowed their deficit to 10 points several times in the waning minutes and would come no closer to than with nine points with 48 seconds remaining as Immaculata advanced to the CSAC Final.
Denis recorded a double-double on game-highs of 20 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Mighty Macs. Kelly Brown finished the contest with 18 points, while McTigue (15 points) and Chrissy Esbensen (10 points) also finished in double-figures for Immaculata, who shot 43.1 percent for the game including a 10-20 effort from beyond the arc while hitting 81.8 percent of their free throws. Esbensen added a game-high 10 assist for the victors.
Rogan's 18 points led four Marywood players in double-figures. Thorsen finished with 14 points and a team-best seven rebounds. Allison Bruet netted 13 points while Schaeffer added 12 points for the Pacers, who finished the evening shooting 31 percent from the field, 27.8 from three-point range, and 78.9 percent from the charity stripe.
Marywood will await word on a potential berth in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Tournament to be announced next Monday.
