Immaculata, PA - Cedar Crest opened Colonial States Athletic Conference play on the road at Immaculata University this evening, but fell to the Mighty Macs  93-65 in a game that was much closer than the score indicates.

A casual observer, watching the pregame warmup, would likely have expected a rout. Immaculata's sheer size - a roster of 19 to Cedar Crest's eight healthy players - was breathtaking. The Macs' warmup laps formed a nearly unbroken line of blue uniforms around the perimeter of the court.

But fortunately, the Falcons took to heart Coach Valerie Donohue's reminder that, deep bench or not, both teams could put just five players on the court at a time. And so Cedar Crest played with reckless abandon from the start, playing their best basketball of the young season so far and staying with the Macs stride for stride throughout the first half. Each time Immaculata managed a bit of a lead, several times by as many as eight points, the Falcons answered the challenge to keep the game within reach.

Immaculata had to have been expecting an easier time than they were having, especially when Cedar Crest scored six straight points to take a 35-31 lead with about 3:30 to go before halftime. The Macs rallied however, forcing a few quick turnovers which, when coupled with some poor shooting by the Falcons, allowed them to close the half on a 12-0 run and enter the locker room with a 43-35 lead. Despite the hosts' perceived advantage, Cedar Crest won the rebounding battle 22-19 and the Macs' bench contributed just two points in the first half.

After some halftime adjustments and motivational coachspeak, Immaculata opened the second half as though they had something to prove, scoring eight unanswered points to take a 16-point lead at 51-35. Cedar Crest kept their heads and valiantly attempted to keep the game within reach, with the lead hovering around the 12 to 16 point range until about the 10:00 mark when they finally ran out of gas. The Macs subbed linerally, and closed on a 26-15 run over the final minutes en route to the 93-65 victory.

Cedar Crest sophomore Amber Wehry (Klingerstown, PA/Tri-Valley Jr/Sr) led all scorers with a career-high 26 points, including four of eight from the three-point line. Senior Lizzy Sunderhaus (Hamilton, OH/Stephen T. Badin) had 22 points and led all rebounders with 13 for her third double double of the season. Freshman Denyell Spingola (East Haddam, CT/Nathan Hale-Ray) played particularly well and had seven points, and freshman Mattie Hallquist (Catasauqua, PA/Catasauqua) had eight boards.

Immaculata's deep bench – 16 players saw action and 11 scored – held a 30-1 advantage over Cedar Crest, although the Falcons were only out-rebounded 43-41.

Cedar Crest drops to 1-3 overall and 0-1 in the CSAC, and Immaculata improves to 3-2 overall and 1-0 in the Conference. Next up, the Falcons return to the road to face CSAC North opponent Baptist Bible College on Wednesday, November 30th, at 6:00 PM.