Aston, Pa. — Marywood University suffered its first Atlantic East Conference women's basketball setback of the season in a 77-68 loss to Neumann University on Saturday. The Pacers used an 11-point run in the fourth quarter to cut it to a two-point game before the Knights pulled away in the last minutes. 

The Pacers had a pair of 20-point performances by Olivia Ciullo and Rachel McDonald. Ciullo reached the mark for the sixth time this season to complement eight rebounds, and McDonald drained six 3-pointers for a career-best offensive production. 

Savannah Purdy finished with 15 points. 

Neumann dominated points in the paint by a 42-22 margin. The Knights' Lauren Klieber and Emily DuPont each had 23 points. Terea Hunt posted a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds. 

The Knights expanded their lead to as many as 13 points on Klieber's fast-break layup with 8:17 remaining. Purdy set the 11-point run in motion with a layup from a McDonald assist. McDonald made a 3-pointer with 5:46 left, and Ciullo hit a jumper at 4:30 to cut the Knights' lead to 63-61. 

After trading baskets, Ciullo cut the deficit down to two points (67-65) again with a layup with 2:38 left. DuPont responded with a basket at the end, and Lindsay Holden made a game-changing 3-pointer with 1:28 left on the clock on the Knights' ensuing possession.  

Marywood sawed off Neumann's lead back to a two-possession game with Ciullo's layup with 31 seconds left. Klieber and Holden made both of their free throws to protect the Knights' win. 

The Pacers (11-3, 1-1 AEC) will look to get back into the win column Wednesday with a matchup at Gwynedd Mercy University on Wednesday.