RADNOR, Pa.- On the final day of the 2019-20 regular season, the Immaculata women's basketball team will return to the floor this afternoon to square off against longtime rival Cabrini with opening tip set for 1 p.m. in a game with major playoff implications.

With a victory this afternoon or a Marywood loss to Marymount, Immaculata will secure the fourth seed in the upcoming Atlantic East Tournament, thus, securing a home game on Monday evening against the aforementioned Pacers in the Atlantic East Quarterfinals.

In the first meeting between Immaculata and Cabrini earlier this season, the contest remained tight throughout and Immaculata held a 26-23 lead heading to the halftime break. A strong start to the second half by the Cavaliers gave the visitors a lead they would never relinquish en route to a 64-56 victory over the Macs. Theresa Kearney led the Macs in scoring with 13 points while Brielle Rigo and Jordan Rook also ended the evening in double figures with 12 and 11 points, respectively.

Last Time Out:

In a game with major playoff implications, the Immaculata women's basketball team took to the road on Wednesday evening to face rival Gwynedd Mercy. Immaculata battled throughout but a first-quarter run by the Griffins proved to be too much to overcome in the 95-83 setback.

Annie Kohutka led all scorers with a game-high 20 points while Jordan Rook chipped in 13 points and Brielle Rigo and Theresa Kearney added 12 points and 11 points, respectively. Rigo and Kearney also eclipsed double-digits in rebounding registering 12 and 14 rebounds to register double-doubles on Wednesday evening. Meghan Ricker narrowly missed a double-double of her own as she ended the contest with 12 rebounds and eight points in the setback.

Gwynedd Mercy opened the contest with a 6-0 run before Immaculata clawed back into the contest with a 15-11 scoring run, which saw the Macs trail by just a pair with 1:34 to play in the opening quarter. From this point, Immaculata would manage just two more points before the end of the quarter while Gwynedd Mercy tacked on eight points of its own to claim a 25-17 lead heading into the second quarter of basketball. In the second period of play, Immaculata and Gwynedd Mercy traded baskets and short runs throughout the quarter but Gwynedd Mercy outscored its guests 29-23 in the period to claim a 54-40 lead heading to the halftime break.

Out of the halftime break, Gwynedd Mercy once again scored 10 of the first 12 points of the quarter before Immaculata went on a 9-0 run of its own to make the score 64-49 with 6:12 to play in the third quarter. The teams would trade trips to the charity stripe over the next two minutes of basketball before Gwynedd Mercy closed the quarter on a 15-11 run to carry a 83-62 lead into the fourth and final quarter of play.

The first two minutes of the fourth quarter were scoreless as neither team could find its stride offensively as the first points of the final frame occurred with 7:49 to play when Gwynedd Mercy knocked down a pair of free throws before Annie Kohutka registered the first field goal of the fourth with a three-pointer off an assist from Theresa Kearney while 7:41 to play in regulation. Over the closing minutes of regulation, Immaculata mounted a solid comeback effort outscoring its hosts 21-12 in the fourth quarter, unfortunately, this run was not enough to avoid the setback on Wednesday evening as the Macs fell by a final of 95-83.
 
From the field, Immaculata shot 31.2 % on the evening while also shooting 28.6 % from deep and 73.9 % from the line in the setback. Additionally, Immaculata ended the contest with an impressive 79-56 rebounding advantage. 79 rebounds is the most in an Atlantic East game this season while also ranking third in the nation for rebounds in a single-game so far this season.

Stat Check:

On Wednesday evening, Immaculata turned in the best rebounding performance that the Atlantic East has seen this season with 79 rebounds, which is also the third best rebounding performance of any team in Division III women's basketball so far this season. This was thanks in large part to a pair of double-doubles from Brielle Rigo and Theresa Kearney along with a  near double-double from Morgan Falcone. Rigo has been a force on the glass throughout the 2019-20 season as the junior has ranked near the top of the Atlantic East rebounding chart for much of the season. Entering play on Saturday afternoon, Rigo remains second in the league in rebounds per game averaging 9.8 boards per contest while league average of 10.8 is best in the Atlantic East entering the final day of the regular season.

As a team, Immaculata remains one of the top defensive units in the Atlantic East limiting its opponents to an average of just 63.4 points per game on the year to rank third in the league in defense. Offensively, Immaculata has held steady in fourth in the league in scoring for much of the year averaging 64.6 points per game thanks in large part to the third-best field goal percentage in the Atlantic East at 35.7 % on the year.

Scouting Cabrini:

Prior to opening tip this afternoon, Cabrini will take a moment to honor its senior class before playing with the hopes of stretching its winning streak to four in a row to close the regular season. In the Cavs last contest which came at Wesley on Wednesday evening, Cabrini cruised to the 87-49 victory over its foes thanks in large part to a 20-point effort from junior Ashley Tutzauer. Tutzauer and teammate Kate Lannon have been two of the top scorers in the Atlantic East throughout the 2019-20 season as the duo currently ranks fourth and fifth in the league in scoring averaging 14.8 and 13.3 points per game, respectively entering play on Saturday afternoon. As a team, Cabrini ranks second in the league in both scoring and defense allowing an average of 60.1 points per game while averaging 73.6 points per game of its own to this point in the season.

Looking Ahead:

Immaculata solidified its spot in the Atlantic East Tournament a few weeks ago and the Macs will now look to solidify their spot as one of the top four teams in the league with the opportunity to host an Atlantic East Quarterfinal waiting as a reward for this accomplishment. The Atlantic East quarterfinal round will begin on Monday evening at a site and time yet to be announced.