IMMACULATA, Pa. – The Neumann University women's basketball fell 58-52 in a close battle at Immaculata University on Monday evening in an Atlantic East Conference first round matchup.
 
Lauren Klieber tallied another double-double with 24 points and 12 rebounds. Terea Hunt added 12 points and nine boards. Jacqueline Wardrop tallied nine points.
 
Klieber and Hunt scored the first two baskets of the game, and the Knights held the lead throughout the first quarter. A jumper by Wardrop with 1:55 left on the clock gave Neumann a 10-point advantage, 16-6. The Mighty Macs answered with the next eight points. Hunt capped the quarter with a jumper and the Knights held an 18-14 lead after the first 10 minutes.
 
The Mighty Macs scored the first six points of the second quarter to take a 20-18 advantage. Each team held a small lead over the rest of the half. Hunt sank a jumper for the final basket of the half and Immaculata took a 29-27 lead at the break.
 
Immaculata came out of halftime and scored the first seven points to take a nine points advantage. Neumann worked its way back and with 2:18 on the clock, two free throws by Lindsay Holden first tied the game at 40, then gave the Knights a 41-40 lead. Neither team would find the basket for the rest of the quarter and the Knights took the one-point edge into the final 10 minutes.
 
Midway through the fourth quarter, the Knights built a six-point advantage. With three minutes left in regulation, the Mighty Macs knotted the game at 50. After the teams traded baskets, Immaculata sank a three-pointer for a 55-52 lead with 1:41 on the clock. Again, neither team could find the basket. In the final 18 seconds, the Mighty Macs went 3-for-4 from the line to seal the win and advance to the semifinals.
 
Neumann (13-13) will now wait for the ECAC Tournament announcement next Monday to see if the season continues.