SCRANTON, Pa. - The Immaculata University women's basketball team entered the fourth quarter tied at 41 with Atlantic East Conference foe Marywood Wednesday night, but the Mighty Macs could not overcome a 10-0 Pacer run to begin the fourth quarter, falling 63-52 in the regular season finale. 

Theresa Kearney led the way offensively for the Macs with 14 points on a 5-of-9 shooting night from the field, her 12th game scoring in double-figures in her last 13.

The Mighty Macs (7-18, 4-8 Atlantic East) will enter the inaugural Atlantic East Women's Basketball Tournament as the fifth-seed, and will travel to fourth-seeded Neumann on Monday night.

HOW IT HAPPENED
-Following a relatively quiet first five minutes of the opening quarter Wednesday night, Natalie Ayoub sparked a 9-3 run with a pair of and-one lay-ins to lift the Macs to a five-point lead with just under two minutes to play. An Annie Kohutka bucket in the paint answered with a pair of Pacer free-throws positioned the Macs up three at the end of one.
-Kearney drained her second three of the game just 30 seconds into the second frame, lifting the Macs to a game-high lead of six. Marywood begant to chip away at the deficit, but field goals from Brielle Rigo and Meghan Ricker paired with a couple of Shannon Kelly free throws kept IU in control in the waning minutes of the first half.
-Marywood responded in a big way, taking back the lead at the 2:42 mark of the second quarter before eventually taking a one-point lead into the break.
-Amber Ballinger knocked down the first three-ball of the third quarter just over a minute in, sparking a 7-0 Mighty Mac run to put the visitors back up by six. Despite losing the lead with 35 seconds left in the third, Kearney knocked down a pair from the line to knot the contest at 41 heading into the final ten minutes of regulation.
-Marywood opened the fourth quarter on a 10-0 run over the first four-plus minutes, and despite the Macs cutting the deficit to four with just over three minutes remaining, the Pacers pulled away late to take the 63-52 win.

TEAM COMPARISON
-The Macs shot 39.6 percent (19-48) from the field, while holding Marywood to 37.3 percent (20-53).
-Marywood made 27 trips to the line in the victory, converting on 21 of them (77.8%). The Macs went 9-of-12 (75%) in their opportunites.
-The Pacers had 16 points come from off their bench, opposite IU's eight.
-Marywood controlled the battle on the boards, topping the Macs 36-32.
-The Mighty Macs committed 20 turnovers on the night, resulting in 22 Marywood points.

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
-Points: Kearney 14, Kelly/Ballinger/Kohutka 8
-Assists: Ballinger 4, Kearney 3
-Rebounds: Rigo 9, Ayoub 5
-Steals: Ballinger 3, Kearney/Kohutka

UP NEXT
The fifth-seeded Mighty Macs will travel to fourth seeded Neumann on Monday night for the Atlantic East Quarterfinals.