Head coach Jennifer Carleton and the Pacers entered December with a 3-5 record and their first matchup at home against King’s College. The first half was neck and neck and both teams had 28 points at the half. The Pacers struggled coming out of the locker room and quickly trailed by 15. King’s College remained in control and picked up the 64-45 victory. Marywood’s Rachel McDonald led the way with 12 points and five steals.
Marywood went on the road for its next two games, with the first stop at Doylestown. The Pacers squared off against Delaware Valley University and it looked very similar to their last game. Each side had 16 points in the first quarter and 11 in the second. After the break, Delaware Valley would start running away with it. They outscored Marywood 34-18 in the second half and won 61-45. Despite the team only shooting 22%, Faith Kendricks had herself a night. She scored 15 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and recorded three steals.
The Pacers traveled to Williamsport to play Penn College. Both schools were in need of a win and it would be Marywood who started out hot. The Pacers led 26-11 after the first quarter and looked to be in the driver’s seat. The offense would start to slow down but the Pacer’s defense only allowed five points in the second quarter. Penn College would outscore Marywood for the remainder of the game but ultimately fell 61-51. The Pacers snapped their four game losing streak after a career performance from Kendricks, who put up 20 points and 12 rebounds.
Marywood returned to the Insalaco Arena to face the 8-2 Saint Elizabeth University. The Pacers were underdogs in this one, yet it was tied 39 apiece at the break. It would remain close until the start of the fourth. The Pacers made it rain from everywhere on the court and led by 13 with eight minutes to go. The buzzer would sound and Marywood came out victorious with an 81-69 win. Stephanie Klemick went off with 21 points and seven rebounds. Other notable performances were Mia Blume with 12 points, six assists and eight rebounds, along with Colby White’s and Kendricks’ 14 points each.
Marywood closed the month on the road against Rosemont College. The Pacers offense was on point as they put up 22 points in the first half. They scored 20+ points in every quarter and the most their defense allowed was 15. Rosemont struggled on offense as they shot 33% on field goals and 20% from behind the arc. The Pacers finished 2023 with a dominant 95-50 win. Freshman Alli Griscavage had a double-double with 24 points and 13 boards. In addition, Kendricks, Blume, Shelby Ardo-Boyko, Kendel Card and Maddie Neiderer all had 10+ points on the day.
The Pacers finished the month 6-7 and riding a three-game winning streak. Marywood will start conference play in its first matchup of 2024.
All statistics are from MarywoodPacers.com as of December 30.
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