Box Score

RADNOR, Pa.- The number-two seeded Immaculata women's basketball team travelled to top-seeded Cabrini for the second straight season in the Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) women's basketball championship, and in a hard-fought contest, Cabrini pulled away late to deal the Mighty Macs a 68-53 defeat.  The loss ends the Mighty Macs season with a 17-10 record while the Cavaliers (24-3) will head to the NCAA tournament next weekend.
 
Senior Sara Smith capped off her Immaculata career with her third double-double of the season with 18 points and 13 boards as she moved into 11^th on the Mighty Mac scoring list, finishing her career with 1,195 points.  Senior Alison Zimny added 11 points and senior Lindsay Cras hit three triples off the bench for nine points.
 
The Mighty Macs were up against the fifth best defense in the nation and they made it tough for IU as they held the Macs to 24.6% shooting (14-for-57).  IU held Cabrini to 37.3% shooting and forced 17 turnovers, but the Cavaliers outrebounded the Macs, 56-32.
 
The Cavaliers raced out to an 11-4 out of the gates, but the Mighty Macs used the three-ball to go on a 9-0 run and take the lead.  Smith drilled a three from the top of the key, and Cras hit back-to-back triples, including one from five feet behind the three point line to put the Macs up 13-11 early on.
 
Cabrini would tie it, but the Macs would go on a 7-2 spurt to take their biggest lead of the game at 20-15 at the 8:51 mark.  Senior Brittany Merkle (4 points, 5 rebounds) hit a jumper before senior Mackie Fitzgerald (6 points) hit a three of her own, followed by two free throws from Zimny.
 
The Cavaliers would take the lead back with a 10-2 run to take a 25-22 lead, but another three pointer from Smith tied the game at 25-25 with three minutes to go before halftime.  Zimny hit a lay-up on a back-door pass by senior Adriana Scaiscia to put Immaculata up by two and they took a 27-26 lead into the locker room.
 
After the break, Cabrini scored the first nine points to race out to a 35-27 lead just over four minutes in.  However, IU had a response again with an 8-2 run to make it a two-point game again.  A Zimny three and jumper followed by another Cras three brought the Mighty Macs back into the game.
 
They would get a fast break, pull-up jumper from Zimny to cut the game back to two points at 37-35, and following a Cabrini three, two Smith free throws made it a 40-37 game with 11:42 to go, but that's the closet IU would get the rest of the way.
 
With the game at 43-39, Cabrini went on a 12-0 run to break the game open and go up 55-39 as they held the Macs scoreless for nearly six minutes.  From there, IU would battle back, trimming the deficit back down to 11 with 3:47 to go, but Cabrini put the game away at the line and took home their third straight CSAC crown, 68-53.
 
The Mighty Macs ended their season with 17 wins and a team-record, 13 CSAC victories and the first home CSAC Semifinal game in program history.