GWYNEDD VALLEY, PA. -- A late basket in the final seconds pushed Immaculata past Gwynedd Mercy, 54-52, Saturday afternoon in an Atlantic East Conference matchup.
Susan Bossler led the Griffins with 18 points, going 6-for-14 from the floor and hitting three of the team's five three-pointers. Oliva Roseman pulled down a game-high nine rebounds while Jill Kane totaled three steals.
Amber Ballinger led the Mighty Macs with 19 points while Brielle Rigo had 4 blocks on the day. Rigo's bucket with just over a second was turned out to be the game-winner
After the Griffins took a three-point lead to after the first quarter, the lead swelled to as high as 14 (30-16) after a bucket underneath from Chyanne Fine at the 4:29 mark. Ballinger's three late in the frame helped the Mighty Macs cut it to a 30-21 score at the break.
Both teams continued to put points on the board in the third quarter, but the Griffins started to pull away again. A three from Bossler gave the Griffins a 40-28 edge and a free throw from Monet McGorda with 2:23 remaining put Gwynedd up by 12. The Mighty Macs closed the period on a 10-0 run to get within 43-41 at the end of the third quarter.
Marisa Sullivan hit a layup on a putback in the paint right off the bat to widen the lead to four to start the fourth. After Fine's layup with 6:12 left, both teams did not score for over three minutes, keeping thet GMercyU edge at seven. Immaculata eventually got it to a one-point game with 1:11 showing. Bossler hit another basket to bring the score to 52-49, but Ballinger hit another three on the next possession to tie the game with 37 ticks on the clock. After dual possessions from both teams, Rigo put back a miss at the buzzer to win it.
Gwynedd Mercy will return to action on Monday in non-conference action at Valley Forge.