IMMACULATA, Pa.- The Immaculata men's basketball team will be making its' sixth consecutive appearance in the Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) postseason on Saturday afternoon as the sixth-seeded Mighty Macs (12-13, 10-8 CSAC) travel to Centenary (14-11, 11-7 CSAC) to take on the third-seeded Cyclones at 1 p.m.
 
The Mighty Macs are looking to snap a three-game playoff losing skid as they have lost in the CSAC Quarterfinals in each of the past two seasons as the No. 4 seed.  The last IU playoff victory was when they were seeded sixth in 2012 and they travelled to No. 3 Gwynedd Mercy and defeated them 94-82 on February 18^th.  Overall, the Immaculata men's basketball program is 6-6 in the conference postseason and has one conference title to its' name in 2008 when they topped Gwynedd Mercy in the final, 85-68, to advance to the program's only NCAA tournament appearance.
 
Immaculata and Centenary are meeting for the first time in postseason play tomorrow afternoon.  The Mighty Macs own a narrow 9-7 advantage in the history between these two teams, including a split this season.  Immaculata handled Centenary, 66-48, when the two teams met at Alumnae Hall on January 19^th.  The Mighty Mac defense was stout that night as they held the Cyclones to just 36% shooting (16-for-44) and forced 22 turnovers.
 
Immaculata held a 31-19 halftime advantage, but Centenary battled to make it 44-40, until an 8-0 run by IU put the game away with six minutes to go en route to the 18-point victory.  Senior and Second Team All-CSAC honoree Mamadou Diakite had 20 points, while juniors Rodney Duncan (16 points) and Ron Melton (14 points) each chipped in with double figures.  For Centenary in that game, Andy Charles had 10 points and six rebounds to lead the Cyclones.
 
In their second meeting a few weeks later on February 7^th, Centenary edged Immaculata 65-61 in a tight back-and-forth affair.  The Immaculata defense was strong again as they held Centenary to 38.8% shooting from the field, but IU shot just 26.8% (15-for-56) in the four-point defeat.  There were five lead changes in the second half, but the Cyclones took the final lead of the game at the 4:41 mark and never trailed the rest of the way.  Diakite had another solid game with 16 points, 12 of them coming at the foul line, while sophomore Matt Simon had 10 and sophomore Mike Griffin had 12 off the bench.  For the Cyclones, Myles McLeod (16 points), Rashaan Spencer (12 points), and Andy Charles (12 points) were the double figure scorers for Centenary.
 
The Mighty Macs have largely relied on their defense all season long as they have given up the third least points per game (69.0) in the CSAC while scoring the third least (67.4).  Most of IU's damage comes from beyond the three point line, where they set a team record for three pointers made (167).
 
Diakite is the leader in both points per game at 14.5 and rebounds with 218 (8.7 per game), and will be relied on heavily against Centenary as he averaged 18.0 points per game against them this season.  With seven more rebounds, Diakite will set the single season IU record for rebounds.  Earlier today, he was named to the Second Team All-CSAC for the second straight season.  He is also leading the team in field goal percentage (51%) and he has gone to the free throw line 164 times, converting 103 of them (62.8%).  Diakite also had 11 double-doubles this season, which ranked him second in the CSAC.
 
Sophomore Roy Ferrell Jr. had another solid season, averaging 11.2 points per game, while adding 4.6 boards per game, and 2.0 assists.  Junior Rodney Duncan has been solid all season at the point guard position, leading the team in assists with 69, steals (32), and free throw percentage (82.4%) while averaging 9.0 points per game.
 
Other contributors are junior Ron Melton (8.8 ppg), sophomore Matt Simon (8.3 ppg), who set an IU record with 52 made three point field goals this season, and freshman Joshua Smith (5.0 ppg).
 
For Centenary, they find themselves in the middle of the CSAC both offensively and defensively as they are seventh in scoring offense at 68.9 points per game and fifth in scoring defense surrendering 69.0 per contest.
 
Individually, Andy Charles was named Second Team All-CSAC as he leads the Cyclones with 12.4 points per game, and Rashaan Spencer was named the CSAC Rookie of the Year as he is second on the team with 11.8 points per game.  Charles also leads the team in rebounds with 7.0 per contest.
 
If Immaculata wins, they will travel to the top-seeded Cabrini Cavaliers for the CSAC Semifinals on Tuesday for a 7 p.m. tip, and if Centenary wins, they will go to Neumann.
 
Tip-off tomorrow is set for 1 p.m. and if you can't make it to the game, you can follow the Live Stats or check out our live broadcast here.