IMMACULATA, Pa. - Brandon McCullough posted a career-high 21 points and the Immaculata University men's basketball team was able to ward off a late Marymount (7-8, 1-2) comeback to surge to its fourth-straight victory Wednesday night in Alumnae Hall, 74-66. The win vaults the Macs (6-8, 2-1) up to third in the Atlantic East standings heading into a pivotal matchup at conference leader Gwynedd Mercy Saturday, which will serve as the Atlantic East Conference Game of the Week.
McCullough shot 6-of-12 from the field - including 3-of-5 from three - to reach his new career-high in scoring. The sophomore recorded 18 of his 21 in the second half alone after converting on a lone three in opening half.
Mike Piekarski recorded his fifth game of at least 20 points with an even 20 on the night, while
Jordan Ambrose turned in his seventh-consecutive game in double-figure scoring with 11. The duo each finished the night tied for the team-lead with seven rebounds.
HOW IT HAPPENED
-Marymount scored six of the game's first ten points to take an early advantage in the opening minutes Wednesday night, but a 7-2 Mighty Mac run capped off by a McCullough trey gave the Macs their first lead of the night at the 15-minute mark.
-The Saints answered back quickly to regain a five-point lead, sparking a 9-0 IU run with four different scorers to get back on top, 16-12. The Mighty Macs finished the opening half with nine different scorers, led by eight from Piekarski.
-Despite extending the lead to nine with just under two minutes remaining in the opening half, the Macs took a four-point lead into the break, 25-21.
-After exchanging threes to open the second half, the Macs tore off a 20-5 run over an eight-minute stretch to extend their lead to a game-high 19 at the 11:34 mark. The Macs held a double-figure advantage all the way up to just under seven minutes remaining in regulation.
-The Saints began to mount a rally in the final minutes of regulation - cutting the IU lead to as little as five with three minutes left on the clock - but the Macs were able to fend off the comeback attempt by hitting all 13 of their free throw attempts in the second half, including a perfect 10-for-10 in the final two minutes.
TEAM COMPARISON
-Wednesday night's matchup featured three lead changes, but the Macs held the lead for 30:07 of the 40 minutes on the night. The Macs led by as much as 19 in the contest.
-The Saints shot 25-of-55 (45.5%) on the night, opposite the Macs' 27-of-62 (43.5%) performance.
-The Macs converted on all 15 of their attempts from the free throw line, including a perfect 15-for-15 showing in the second half.
-The Macs held the Saints to just 32.1 percent (9-28) from three-point range in the game.
-IU forced 22 Marymount turnovers - 14 of which resulted in steals - leading to 26 points. The Saints forced only ten Mighty Mac turnovers and scored 11 points on those opportunities.
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
-Points: McCullough 21, Piekarski 20, Ambrose 11
-Assists: McCullough 4, Kitchen 3
-Rebounds: Ambrose/Piekarski 7, McCullough 3
-Steals: Kitchen 4, McCullough 3
UP NEXT
Immaculata (6-8, 2-1 Atlantic East) travels to Gwynedd Mercy Saturday for the Atlantic East Game of the Week. Tip off between the Macs and Griffins is slated for 3 p.m.
