Box Score

IMMACULATA, Pa. – Immaculata University's men's basketball squad fell short in its attempt to hand Gwynedd-Mercy College its first conference loss of the season, 57-43, on Saturday afternoon, Jan. 31, at Alumnae Hall.

The Mighty Macs slip to 6-11 overall and 4-5 in the Colonial States Athletic Conference while the Griffins improve to 15-2 overall, 8-0 CSAC.

Kyle Finklea led the Mighty Macs with 17 points and seven rebounds, while Julius Lopez chipped in 15 points. Sean Fordham led Immaculata on the glass with eight rebounds.

Gwynedd-Mercy opened the contest on a 6-0 run before Immaculata was able to get on the scoreboard with a Fordham free throw at the 17:01 mark. The Mighty Macs were able to hold the Griffins to just a Dave Smith layup for 4:21 while they went on an 8-0 spurt powered by two Lopez threes, to take the lead, 11-8, with 11:19 remaining in the opening period.

Immaculata's lead would be short-lived however, as Gwynedd-Mercy regained the advantage, 12-11, at the 9:13 mark. The Griffins would not relinquish their margin the rest of the way although it was contested by the Mighty Macs.

Immaculata trailed by one point with 5:32 left in the first half, when Smith and Jon Hogga combined for Gwynedd-Mercy's 9-4 run to end the half to give the Griffins a 24-18 halftime lead. Immaculata's four points came off Finklea jumpers, and the last one was at the 3:15 mark.

Immaculata appeared to have the comeback in hand as it narrowed the deficit to one, 30-29, with 11:42 remaining in the contest after starting the second half on an 11-6 run. Lopez chipped in seven points during the spurt to draw the Mighty Macs within striking distance. However, the Griffins used a 10-6 spurt, including eight points from Smith, over the next 5:31 to go back up by five, 40-35.

Gwynedd-Mercy continued to see its advantage grow until the final 14-point margin. The Griffins were 11-for-14 from the foul line during the final 4:02 to ice the game.

Smith registered a double-double on 21 points and 17 rebounds to lead the Griffins. Matt Johnson tallied nine points and eight rebounds.

Immaculata hosts Alvernia on Monday, Feb. 2, at 7 p.m. in a make-up date for the contest orginially slated for Jan. 19