Box Score

IMMACULATA, Pa.- The Mighty Mac men's basketball team (12-11, 10-6 CSAC) won their third consecutive game on Saturday afternoon at Alumnae Hall as they pulled away in the second half against Marywood (4-19, 4-12 CSAC) for a 71-61 victory.  The Macs are still in fifth place in the Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC), one game behind Rosemont.
 
Sophomore Mike Piekarski collected the eighth double-double of his career with a career-best 25 points to go with 10 rebounds and three steals.  Senior Roy Ferrell Jr. was the other double digit scorer with 15 points, while senior Matt Simon had eight points, eight boards, and four assists.  Senior Michael Griffin III, sophomore Cordell Lord, junior Eric Pittman Jr., and freshman Jordan Ambrose all had five points apiece.
 
The Macs struggled from the field, going 20-for-69 (29%), but they did much of their heavy lifting from the line as they shot 25-for-32 (78.1%), 14 better than the Pacers.
 
The first half was a struggle for both teams as they combined for just 43 points in the opening 20 minutes.  Marywood was scoreless for nearly the first six minutes of the game, and IU held a 6-0 lead in that period.  The Pacers would get more on the offensive end and tie the game at 7-7, which is where it would be midway through the half.
 
IU then took the lead with a pair of threes by Simon and Ferrell Jr. to go up by six.  The lead grew as large as seven at 18-11 with 4:29 to go before the break, but the Pacers finished the half on a 12-2 run to take a 23-20 lead to the locker room.  The Mighty Macs were 7-of-41 from the field in the opening period.
 
Ferrell Jr. hit a three pointer out of the locker room to tie the game, and the game would remain close for the opening 10 minutes of the half.  The game would be tied five times in the first seven minutes, with the final time at 40-40 with 13 minutes to go in the game.
 
The Macs then had a 6-0 spurt to take their biggest lead since midway through the first half on the strength of buckets by Pittman Jr., Ambrose, and Piekarski.  Marywood would not go away as they scored five straight to cut the IU lead to 46-45, but the Macs went on a decisive 11-1 run to put the game away.
 
Lord hit a three-pointer to go up by four, and following a Marywood free throw, Ferrell Jr., Pittman Jr., and Piekarski hit a pair of free throws, and a Ferrell Jr. lay-up put the Macs up 57-46 with five minutes to go in the game.
 
Marywood would make a few pushes, and got as close as six points, but the Macs put the game away for the victory.
 
The Macs will stay home on Wednesday looking for their fourth straight win as they host Rosemont for Senior Night at 8 p.m.