Dec. 6: Home vs. SUNY Delhi

To start off the month of December, the Pacers hosted the 2-5 SUNY Delhi Broncos. The Pacers dominated the game, taking the lead in the first 15 seconds and holding onto it the rest of the way. Marywood outscored SUNY Delhi in three of the four quarters, going on to blow out the Broncos 90-50. The Pacers had five double-digit scorers, led by sophomore guard Olivia Ciullo. The Pacers forced 26 turnovers, tallying 16 steals, with senior guard Jade Rolon leading the way with five, along with the tandem of guards Abbey McGee and Emmersen Peel having three each.

Dec. 10: Home vs. Keystone College

Keystone College was the next opponent in the way of the Pacers. Early on, it seemed to be another blowout victory was in order for the Pacers, as they led by double digits for a good portion of the first half. Keystone came out on an 8-0 run to start the third quarter, taking the lead while holding the Pacers scoreless through the first half of the period. However, this run was short lived, as the Pacers took the lead back, and held it through to the end of the third quarter, before creating separation, leading by as many as 23 points. That performance finalized their eighth win of the season, 76-57. Ciullo was the Pacers’ lead scorer with 21 points, along with 10 rebounds. McGee had a historic night, scoring 19 points, grabbing 16 rebounds, and assisting 12 times for the first triple-double in Marywood women’s basketball history.

Dec. 13: Home vs. Delaware Valley University

This game was unlike any other the Pacers had played all season as they failed to lead at any point. The Pacers went into the half within striking distance of the Rams, only trailing by seven. The Rams outscored the Pacers by 10 in the third quarter to widen their lead. Though the Pacers scored 36 points in the final quarter, the damage had already been done, and the Pacers’ seven-game win streak ended by a final score of 78-71. Senior guard Savannah Purdy’s 24-point outing led the Pacers in scoring.

Dec. 29: Home vs. University of Pittsburgh at Bradford

Following the holiday break, the Pacers returned to host the Pitt.-Bradford Panthers. Much of the first half was a back-and-forth affair, with the largest lead being five points. The third quarter continued a similar trend, with neither team being able to create separation. The fourth quarter was unlike the previous three, with the Pacers outdueling the Panthers, 23-6 in the final quarter to record another win, 71-49. The Pacers had a pair of 20+ point double-doubles, with Purdy dropping 26 points and grabbing 11 rebounds, while Ciullo scored 22 points and tallying a team high 13 rebounds.

Dec. 30: Home vs. Lebanon Valley College
In the final matchup of the month, the Pacers hosted Lebanon Valley College. Neither team had an offensively efficient game with the first quarter being the highest scoring 24-20, in favor of Lebanon Valley. The Pacers limited Lebanon Valley to only a single point in the second quarter, allowing them to take a six-point lead into the halftime break. The Pacers led the whole second half, collecting their 10th victory in 12 games, 58-52. Despite the low scoring game, Marywood had a trifecta of double-digit scorers. Ciullo led the Pacers in both points (18) and rebounds (10).

The Pacers were 4-1 in the month of December, standing at 10-2 at year’s end, with only conference games remaining. Ciullo was the Pacers leading scorer for the month, leading with 18.6 points per game, closely followed by Purdy with 18.2. Ciullo also led the Pacers in rebounding, averaging 9.6 per game. McGee and Rolon both had 22 assists in the month, with Rolon averaging 4.4 per game, while McGee averaged 7.3 per game, due to her not playing the final two games of the month.

The Pacers open the new year with Centenary University at home at 6 p.m. on Jan. 4.

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