Box Score

HARRISBURG, Pa.- Coming off of yesterday's defeat at Madison Square Garden to Queens, the Mighty Macs (5-6) hoped to bounce back in their final non-conference game of the season at Penn State-Harrisburg (3-7), and Immaculata did just that by outscoring the Nittany Lions 37-27 after halftime on their way to a 62-51 victory.
 
Senior Adriana Sciascia matched her season-high with 18 points (3-for-7 three point field goals) and senior Mackie Fitzgerald had a career-high 16 points on 7-for-14 shooting from the field to carry the Mighty Macs.
 
IU shot just 30.2% (19-for-63) from the field, but they made 30 trips to the free throw line and forced a season-high 29 turnovers.
 
Senior Brittany Merkle had eight points and seven rebounds, while senior Alison Zimny filled up the stat sheet with nine points, seven rebounds, and five steals.
 
The teams played close early with Immaculata holding an 11-8 lead, but PSU-Harrisburg held the Mighty Macs scoreless for more than five minutes and ripped off a 12-0 run to jump in front 20-11, their largest lead of the game.
 
The Mighty Macs responded by going on a 14-2 run in the final nine minutes of the first half to take a 25-24 advantage into the locker room.  Sciascia knocked down a three, Fitzgerald hit a jumper, and Reilly Larkin (5 points) hit a lay-up combined with seven made free throws to provide the offense for the run.
 
After halftime, IU did not allow PSU-Harrisburg to take the lead.  They swelled their lead up to seven points at 35-28 lead after a three by Sciascia, and it would be at eight points at 38-30 following a three by Fitzgerald at the 13:18 mark, but the Nittany Lions would score eight straight to tie it at 38-38 midway through the second half.
 
The Mighty Macs showed some toughness by scoring 10 of the next 12 points on the strength of two three's by Sciascia, and buckets by Fitzgerald and Merkle to take a 48-40 lead with eight minutes remaining.
 
The Mighty Macs would not allow the Nittany Lions to get closer than six points and they saw their lead grow to as much as 15 at 62-47 on a late free throw by Merkle on their way to the 62-51 victory.
 
Immaculata will now play 14 consecutive Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) contests starting with Rosemont on Wednesday night at Alumnae Hall at 6 p.m.  It is the first meeting between the teams since the Mighty Macs eliminated Rosemont from the CSAC Quarterfinals last year, 77-74.