IMMACULATA, Pa. – The No. 2 seed Immaculata women's basketball team is set to kick off their 2021-22 Atlantic East Tournament campaign on Monday as they host the No. 7 seed Centenary in a 7:00 P.M. showdown.
The playoff run comes at the end of a very successful 2021-22 season for the Mighty Macs in which they own a 15-8 regular season record along with an 8-4 record in Atlantic East Conference play, including a series sweep against the Cyclones. Earning the second seed behind No. 1 Marymount, the Macs have secured home-court advantage at least through the semifinal round of the tournament.
"We are extremely excited to be back in the playoffs and even more so to be doing so at our home court," said head coach Chrissy Rhine. "We have the support of the administration, family, and friends and are grateful for the chance to continue playing in the comfort of Alumnae Hall."
The Mighty Macs first faced the Cyclones on January 22
nd, keeping the Cyclones to only 38 points in the 56-38 victory.
Theresa Kearney and
Reese Mullins scored 16 and 15 points respectively to lead the Macs on the contest. The Macs most recently, however, defeated the Cyclones in their regular season finale on Saturday. The Mighty Macs posted 86 points in an 86-47 blowout.
"Saturday's game is certainly fresh in everyone's mind, but we will prepare for Monday's game as we do for every game," described Rhine. "Every game is going to be competitive and there are adjustments we need to make on both sides of the ball to improve execution."
Centenary enters their first Atlantic East Tournament after a season in which they went 7-15 with an 0-12 record in conference play. Taylor Bossert is the Cyclones' lead scorer, having scored 286 points on the season. Carmen Escano, meanwhile, is the Cyclones' main defensive presence, leading the team with 178 rebounds and 27 steals on the season.
The Mighty Macs have been led this season by graduate student
Theresa Kearney. Kearney's team-leading 306 points on the season moves her into second place in program history with 1,429 career points scored. Kearney also leads the Macs with 161 rebounds on the season, edging out freshman
Abigail Lentowski, who has recorded 160 rebounds along with 201 points on the year.
Morgan Falcone, meanwhile, leads the Macs with 69 assists on the year while scoring 186 points of her own.
Meghan Ricker has provided clutch steals for the Macs, leading the team with 39 on the year.
Despite the Macs' victory against the Cyclones on Saturday, head coach Chrissy Rhine knows that Saturday's score will mean nothing Monday night.
"We've worked hard to earn the second seed, but this season is not over. In order to be successful, we need to focus on one game at a time and continue playing as a team," concluded Rhine.
