IMMACULATA, Pa.- The Immaculata women's basketball team (7-16, 4-6) locked up their first ever Atlantic East Conference playoff appearance as they completed the season sweep of Gwynedd Mercy (9-14, 2-8) with a 64-54 victory on Play4Kay Night at Alumnae Hall.  With the win, the Macs maintained their fifth place position in the conference with two games remaining.
 
Senior Amber Ballinger eclipsed the 20-point mark for the second straight game with 22 on 8-of-11 shooting from the field, including 4-for-5 from three point range.  Sophomore Theresa Kearney had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds, and sophomore Shannon Kelly added 10 points.
 
The Mighty Macs were in control the whole way as they trailed for only 54 seconds, and led for nearly 36 minutes.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
-The first deficit the Mighty Macs faced on the night was quickly erased by a Ballinger three and a Kearney jumper. Following a free throw by the Griffins, Ballinger hit a jumper and sophomore Lauren Carrafa knocked down a three to put the Macs on top 10-3
-A layup by sophomore Natalie Ayoub in the final minute gave IU a 14-8 advantage at the end of the first
-The second quarter was very high scoring with the teams trading blows back and forth, and Gwynedd hit a three with three minutes remaining to take their final lead of the game
-Ballinger responded with a three pointer, and bucket by Ayoub in the final seconds sent the Macs to the locker room up 32-29
-Gwynedd tied it right out of the gates in the third quarter, but Kelly spurred a 7-0 run with two buckets to put them back on top, 39-32
-The Griffins worked back to tie the game at 43-43, but Ballinger hit a jumper and Kelly hit a three pointer to extend the lead back to five and the Macs took a 50-48 advantage to the fourth
-The Macs dominated the fourth quarter, 14-6, to put the game away.  The Griffins tied it at 50-50, but an 11-0 run over the next five minutes finished off Gwynedd.  Ballinger scored eight points and punctuated the run with a three pointer
-IU's stout defense closed out the game and an Atlantic East victory
 
TEAM COMPARISON
-The Macs shot it well from the field at 42.3% (22-for-52) and the Griffins were 15-for-50 (30%), and the Macs were great from three point range at 8-for-17 (47.1%) and Gwynedd struggled at 6-for-21 (28.6%)
-IU was 12-for-18 (66.7%) from the free throw line and the Griffins were 18-for-23 (78.3%)
-The Macs were superior on the glass with a 40-30 advantage, and the turnover battle was tight with Gwynedd holding a slight 18-16 advantage
 
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
-Points: Ballinger 22, Kearney 13, Kelly 10
-Rebounds: Kearney 10, Ayoub 8, Ballinger 6, Rigo 6
-Assists: Kearney 5, Ballinger 3
-Steals: Ricker 6
 
UP NEXT
The Mighty Macs will host Cabrini on Saturday at 1 p.m. for Senior Day at Alumnae Hall.