ASTON, Pa. - Despite facing only a ten-point deficit at halftime, the Immaculata women's basketball team could not keep pace with a sharp-shooting Neumann squad, as the Knights pulled away for the 69-55 win in Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) action. Amber Ballinger, Theresa Kearney and Natalie Ayoub all reached double-figure scoring on the night for the Macs, paced by Ballinger's 15 points on 5-of-12 shooting.

HOW IT HAPPENED
-Neumann (8-4, 3-0 CSAC) got off to a quick start by scoring the game's first eight points, but Kearney's first bucket of the night promptly put an end to the scoreless drought. The Knights' game-opening run of 12-4 spanned over six minutes to open the contest.
-The Macs cut the deficit to six before the end of the first quarter on a pair of free throws from Annie Kohutka and Gina Cocci.
-Immaculata came to life in the second quarter, shriking the Knight lead all the way down to three with under three minutes to play in the half. The Macs stormed back behind an 8-2 run thanks to buckets from Ayoub, Ballinger and Dia Veneziano.
-Although the Macs took control of the quarter - leading the advantage in second-chance points and points off the bench - the Knights responded with nine points of their own in the final two minutes to stretch the lead back to double digits at 35-25.
-In the second half, Ballinger became red-hot from the field, totaling eleven points on three-of-seven shooting, while also draining four-of-five from the charity stripe. Despite her best efforts to keep the Macs in it, the Knights extended their lead to as much as 25 in the final quarter.
-Immaculata outscored Neumann in the final frame, 17-10, led by four points each from Ballinger and Emily Halloran.

KEY TEAM STATS
-Field Goals: The Macs shot 18-of-54 (33.3%) from the field, while the Knights were 25-of-69 (36.2%) on the night.
-IU was just 1-of-9 from three, compared to Neumann's 3-of-8 effort from deep.
-The Knights outrebounded the Macs, 51-41.
-It was a busy night at the charity stripe for both sides, as the Macs shot 18-of-33 (54.5%) from the line against Neumann's 16-of-22 (72.2%) mark.

KEY PLAYER STATS
-IU Point Leaders: Ballinger 15, Ayoub and Kearney 10
-IU Rebound Leaders: Kearney 7, Ayoub 6, Halloran 4
-IU Assist Leaders: Kearney 3, Kohutka and Halloran 1

UP NEXT
The Mighty Macs (2-9, 1-2 CSAC) return home to Alumnae Hall Saturday to take on Gwynedd Mercy at 1 p.m.