Box Score

BALTIMORE, Md. – Immaculata University managed to fend off a fourth quarter surge by Notre Dame of Maryland University, 60-54, Wednesday night in Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) road action. The win clinches a postseason playoff spot for the Mighty Macs, who will make a return to the CSAC Tournament following a one-year absence.
 
Immaculata improved to 8-14 overall and 8-5 in the CSAC with the win. Notre Dame dips to 7-13, 4-9 CSAC.
 
Tamyra Laws led the way with a double-double of 20 points and 16 rebounds, while blocking four shots by the Gators. Amber Ballinger had 16 points, four rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal. Gina Cocci and Theresa Walsh each chipped in seven points. Cocci also had four assists, while Walsh grabbed four rebounds and mad two steals. Annie Kohutka also came down with four rebounds while handing out three assists.
 
The Mighty Macs were ahead by 11 points (46-35) heading into the final quarter of play, and still led by that margin with 7:44 to play in the game after the two teams traded baskets to begin the quarter. The Gators sunk two free throws at the 7:24 mark starting a 9-0 run by the hosts that brought them to within two, 48-46, of the Mighty Macs with just 4:11 remaining in the contest.
 
Laws ended Notre Dame's streak with a jumper with 3:24 to go, and Ballinger gave Immaculata a six-point cushion (52-46) with a layup with 2:43 to play. Notre Dame hit two free throws, but Immaculata had a layup from Walsh with just over one minute remaining to still lead by six, 54-48.
 
Stephanie Roche hit a big 3-pointer for the Gators with 52 seconds left in the contest cutting the Mighty Macs advantage to 54-51. However, Cocci was 4-for-4 on free throws to put Immaculata back up by seven (58-51) with 17 seconds remaining, and following another three from Roche, Ballinger hit two free throws to seal the win.
 
Part of the reason the Mighty Macs were able to hold on for the win was their shooting at the free throw line. Immaculata was 18-for-22 (.818) at the line during the game, and 6 of 7 during the final 33 seconds when Notre Dame was doing everything it could to climb back in the game. The Gators only went to the foul line eight times, sinking seven of those shots.
 
Immaculata led at the beginning of the game, but Notre Dame took a 6-5 edge by the 7:30 mark. The Mighty Macs had a 6-0 run to reclaim the lead (11-6) with 4:42 to go in the first quarter. Immaculata led by as many as six (14-8) during the first quarter, but had a three-point advantage, 16-13, at the end of the quarter.
 
Notre Dame came out in the second quarter outscoring Immaculata, 7-3, during the first two minutes to retake the lead, 20-19. The contest went back and forth, and it was tied at 24-all with 3:12 to play before halftime after Laws hit the first of a pair of free throws. Laws went on to make her second shot, and Ballinger had a pair of free throws later in the quarter for a 27-24 Immaculata lead at the break.
 
The third quarter opened with the Gators getting a 3-pointer from Dania Taylor to even the score at 27-all, and the score with again tied at 29-29 at the 8:22 mark. The two squads would go scoreless until Walsh had a layup for the Mighty Macs with 5:19 on the scoreboard breaking the tied game. Walsh's bucket started a 17-6 run by Immaculata that gave them a double-digit lead (46-35) at the end of third quarter. Ballinger led the run with seven points, while Laws had six points, and Walsh and Tess Kieffer each had two points during the span.   
 
Immaculata returns home to host Marywood on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. inside Alumnae Hall.