GWYNEDD VALLEY, Pa. – Powered by 19 second-half points from junior Kyle Finklea, Immaculata University overcame a 25-point halftime deficit to defeat Gwynedd-Mercy College, 81-73, Monday night in a crucial Pennsylvania Athletic Conference game. The Mighty Macs outscored the Griffins 57-24 during the final 20 minutes to secure the victory.
Immaculata improves to 14-5 overall this season and 9-1 in the PAC, to remain atop the conference standing, while Gwynedd-Mercy slips to 13-7 overall, 6-5 PAC.
Sophomore Jayson Hyman led the way for Immaculata with 22 points and nine rebounds. Finklea added 19 points, all in the second half, eight rebounds, six assists, three blocks and two steals. Senior Rob Jones chipped in 17 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals, while sophomore Scott Marston was the other Mighty Mac in double figures with 12 points, seven rebounds, four blocked shots and three steals.
The Mighty Macs trailed 49-24 at intermission, but cut the Griffins advantage to 11 (57-46) during the opening six minutes of the second stanza. Gwynedd-Mercy was able to slow down the tempo of the contest during the next four minutes, and rebuild their lead to 13, 61-48.
However, Immaculata quickly picked the pace back up as the Mighty Macs' scoring frenzy continued with a 15-2 spurt over 5:05, tying the contest at 63-all with 6:59 remaining. The game was still tied (64-64) with 5:43 remaining, but from that point on, it was all Immaculata. The Mighty Macs closed the contest on a 17-9 run to secure their come-from-behind win.
Immaculata shot 58.8% (20-34) from the floor during the second half, including 4 for 5 (80.0%) from behind the arc, while only shooting 22.9% (8-35) from the field during the opening stanza. Gwynedd-Mercy shot 53.4% (31-58) for the game, but only 37.9% (11-29) during the second half.
The Mighty Macs controlled the boards, out-rebounding the Griffins 41-34, including 21 offensive boards, which led to 20 points.
Matt Johnson led the Griffins with 19 points and six rebounds, while Haven Wroten added 16 points.
Immaculata concludes its three-game road trip on Thursday, Feb. 7, when it travels to Neumann College for a 7 p.m. tip.
