ARLINGTON, Va.- A late fourth-quarter comeback came up a bit short as Immaculata dropped their Atlantic East Conference opener to Marymount 66-61 on the road. The loss snaps the Mighty Macs' four-game winning streak.
In the first quarter, the teams exchanged baskets early. Tessa Liberatoscioli hit a jumper to even score 6-6 with 7:31 remaining. Marymount would go on a six-point run to take a 14-6 lead. Immaculata would respond with a Liberatoscioli jumper and an Olivia Ettorre three-pointer to pull back to 14-11. Immaculata would get a jumper from Reese Mullins and a three-pointer from Abigail Boyer as the first quarter ended with Marymount leading 18-16.
Both teams struggled with turnovers in the quarter with the Mighty Macs having six to Marymount's seven.
In the second quarter, both teams slowed down trying to correct the turnover issues. In the second quarter, Marymount took advantage of the offensive rebounds leading to multiple scores. Abigail Lentowski scored seven points in the quarter and Abigail Boyer hit a pair of free throws as Marymount took a 34-26 lead into the halftime break.
Immaculata got off to a quick start in the third quarter as Tessa Liberatoscioli stole the ball and scored on a driving lay-up. Immaculata would get baskets from Abigail Lentowski and Tessa Liberatoscioli to close the score to 38-35. Marymount would go on a nine-point run and held a 47-35 lead at the end of three quarters.
In the fourth quarter, Immaculata got an early three-pointer from Abigail Boyer and a basket from Emma Wagner. Marymount would respond to build their lead to 57-42 with 5:45 remaining. The Mighty Macs would not go quietly as Tessa Liberatoscioli got the comeback started with a pair of free throws. Emma Wagner hit a three-pointer, and Abigail Lentowski scored on a driving layup. Tessa Liberatoscioli and Emma Wagner each hit a pair of free throws to cut the lead to 61-53 with 2:13 remaining. Abigail Lentowski hit a pair of free throws, and scored on two driving layups, as Immaculata pulled within two points at 63-61 with 0:22 remaining. Marymount was able to hold on to take the game 66-61. Immaculata would outscore Marymount 26-19 in the fourth quarter.
Immaculata was led by Abigail Lentowski who finished tied for the game high of 22 points, with five rebounds, and three steals. Tessa Liberatoscioli scored 14 points, with five rebounds, and three steals. Emma Wagner scored a career-high nine points, all of which came in the fourth quarter and two steals. Abigail Boyer scored eight points, with four rebounds and one steal.
Up Next:
The Immaculata women's basketball team (6-8, 0-1 Atlantic East) will be back in action on Saturday, January 6th when they visit Penn State – Brandywine for a non-conference game. Tip-off is at 1:00 PM.
