Box Score IMMACULATA, Pa.- For the second straight game, Immaculata men's basketball senior
Mamadou Diakite played the hero as his game-winning basket as time expired was the difference in the Mighty Macs 65-64 Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) win over Rosemont. He tallied the seventh double-double of his career with his breakout game of a career-high 27 points and 13 rebounds.
Diakite's basket helped cap a 25-10 run over the game's final 12 minutes that helped Immaculata (2-3, 2-0 CSAC) erase a 14-point second half deficit to give them their second straight CSAC home win. The Mighty Macs effort on the boards was a big difference in the game as they outrebounded Rosemont (2-5, 0-2 CSAC) by a margin of 42-23.
Sophomore
Roy Ferrell Jr. was the only other double digit scorer as he tallied 11 points and a team-high five assists.
Trailing 54-40 with 11:47 remaining in the game, the Mighty Macs started their big run that led to the victory. Junior
Ron Melton (4 points) knocked down a three pointer before a layup by junior
Rodney Duncan (7 points), and two free throws by
Joshua Smith trimmed the lead to 54-47 with 7:31 to go in the game. Back-to-back lay-ups by Diakite trimmed it all the way to a three point game at 54-51 with 6:00 left as the Mighty Mac defense kept Rosemont off the scoreboard for just over six minutes.
Rosemont would use a 5-0 spurt to swell their lead back to eight with 3:33 to go and it would be a six point lead at 62-56 with 1:36 remaining.
The Mighty Macs then dug deep and had another spurt as Diakite knocked down a pair of free throws and Duncan hit a three-pointer to trim the Rosemont lead to one at 62-61. The Mighty Mac defense then came up big as Ferrell Jr. got a steal and laid the ball in with 16 seconds left to give IU the 63-62 lead.
Rosemont would respond with a pair of free throws by Marcus Thomas to put them up 64-63, but Immaculata inbounded and a three ball by Duncan missed, but Diakite was waiting to put the rebound home as the clock expired to give the Mighty Macs the one point victory, their second straight.
Immaculata trailed for much of the game, including a 42-31 halftime deficit.
The Mighty Macs will look to make it three straight wins on Saturday with a road trip to Baptist Bible at 3 p.m.
