Box Score

IMMACULATA, Pa.- On Senior Night at a packed Alumnae Hall, the Immaculata men's basketball team played a back-and-forth game against Rosemont (14-10, 12-5) as the two teams battled for home court advantage in next week's Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) Quarterfinals, and it was the Ravens who got the best of the Mighty Macs (12-12, 10-7 CSAC) in overtime by a score of 89-88.  The game featured 11 ties and 15 lead changes.
 
Tonight's contest was also the final home regular season game in the careers of seniors Roy Ferrell Jr., Mike Sturdivant Jr., Michael Griffin III, and Matt Simon.
 
Four Mighty Macs reached double figures tonight, led by Ferrell Jr. with 19 points and three steals.  Sophomore Mike Piekarski had 16 points and five boards, while Griffin III (3 assists) and junior Eric Pittman Jr. (5 boards) had 15 points apiece.  Simon finished off his Alumnae Hall career with nine points, seven rebounds, and four assists.
 
The game was close the entire way, and tied 71-71 with 6:23 to go after a Ferrell Jr. layup, and would be tied again at 73-73 and 75-75 with four minutes go.
 
Pittman Jr. hit a free throw with 3:35 to go, and another with 2:24 to go to put the Macs up 77-75.  Pittman Jr. then hit a layup following a defensive stop to stake the Macs to a 79-75 advantage, but they turned the ball over in their next possession and the Ravens cut the deficit in half with 46 seconds to go.  The Ravens then tied the game with 38 seconds left, and the Macs next possession saw Pittman Jr. miss a three pointer to send the game to overtime.
 
In overtime, the Mighty Macs never held the lead.  The Ravens hit a three on the first possession and grew it all the way to six points at 87-81 with 3:17 to go in the extra period.  The Macs then cut into the deficit with back-to-back layups by Ferrell Jr. to make it 87-85 with two minutes remaining.  Following a Rosemont bucket, Ferrell Jr. buried a corner triple to cut the deficit to one at 89-88.
 
The Macs then got a stop on the defensive end but an offensive rebound kept the Rosemont possession alive.  The IU defense held again, but Pittman Jr.'s last second three point attempt was off the mark and the Macs fell.
 
In the first half, the Macs started fast behind three triples by Griffin III to go up 11-4, but Rosemont made that lead disappear quickly with an 8-0 run of their own.  Rosemont would get a lead as large as six in the first half, and took a 44-41 lead to the locker room.
 
The Macs again started the half fast, taking a six point advantage after a Piekarski free throw at 52-46 before the Ravens clawed back to tie it several times ahead of the close final minutes.
 
These two teams will meet again on Monday night in the CSAC Quarterfinals with Rosemont as the number four seed and the Macs as the fifth seed.  Before that, the Mighty Macs will be at Centenary at 4 p.m. on Saturday.