IMMACULATA, Pa.- The No. 4 seed Immaculata women's basketball team is set to begin 2022-23 Atlantic East Tournament campaign and defense of their Atlantic East Conference title on Monday evening when the host the No. 5 seed Neumann at 6:00 PM.  

The Mighty Macs enter the playoffs after a 2022-23 season in that they finished with an overall regular season record of 12-13 along with a 7-5 record in Atlantic East Conference play. The Macs navigated a strong non-conference schedule that included nationally ranked DeSales. In Atlantic East Conference play the Macs secured wins over the top three-seeded teams, including handing top-seeded Marymount their only conference loss. 

"We are excited that our conference record enabled us to host the quarterfinals" stated Head Coach Chrissy Rhine.  

Immaculata faced Neumann on January 14, falling to the Knights 56-51 at Alumnae Hall. On February 4th, the Macs fell again to Neumann on the road by a score of 70-65. Abigail Lentowski and Reese Mullins each scored in double figures in both games vs. Neumann.  

Despite having lost both games in the regular season to Neumann, head coach Chrissy Rhine knows  what her team will need to do to have success against Neumann on Monday night. 

"Neumann is a tough team." described Rhine. "We need to execute offensively and defensively and bring intensity in all four quarters to win." 

Neumann enters the Atlantic East Tournament after a season in which they went 13-12 overall with a 6-6 record in conference play. Lauren Klieber has been Neumann's leading scorer, scoring 551 points on the season. Klieber is also the Knights leading rebounder with 243 rebounds. Emily Dupont is a presence on defense with a team-leading 32 steals. Terea Hunt will be a presence on both sides of the ball for Neumann 

Immaculata has been led this season by sophomores Abigail Lentowski who scored 356 points and Reese Mullins would has scored 352 points on the season. Lentowski leads the team with 185 rebounds and Mullins has contributed 135 rebounds. In the playoffs, the Macs will look for leadership and strong play from seniors Morgan Falcone, Erin Kelly, Meghan Ricker, and Kaitlyn Racobaldo. Mary deSimone, Abigail Boyer, and Olivia Ettorre will provide valuable contributions off the bench. 

Despite having a core of players with experience from last season's championship, the Macs know the road through the tournament will be difficult.  

"We are in a competitive conference," concluded Rhine. "We know we have to come out ready to play."