ARLINGTON, Va. – The Marymount University women's basketball team secured the No. 1 seed in the upcoming Atlantic East Conference tournament on Saturday, with a 51-38 victory over Marywood University at the Converse Family Fieldhouse on Senior Day.

The game was a defensive battle from the start, with the teams combining for 16 points in the opening six and a half minutes of action.

Freshman Lauren Cunningham hit a three-pointer to get the score to 9-7, but the Pacers used an 8-2 lead in the final 3:35 of the quarter to take a 17-9 lead.

Marywood pushed its lead to 21-9 to start the second quarter, before sophomore Katie McShea score two layups, sandwiching a three from senior Abby Fisher, to get back to within five, 21-16, with 6:07 left in the half.

After four minutes of scoreless play, each team hit a layup in the final minutes of the half, as the Pacers led 23-18 at the break.

Marywood continued to hold its lead for the first part of the third quarter, but in the final five minutes, the Saints got going, using an 11-3 run to take the lead by the end of the frame.

Senior Gabriella Haddad and Fisher combined for four free throws, before freshman Symantha Shackelford drilled a three to bring Marymount back to within one, 29-28.

Fisher, then, converted a layup to give the Saints the lead.

Marymount would outscore Marywood 19-9 in the final quarter to secure the win. Shackelford knocked down another three to keep things going, before Fisher tacked on another layup.

The Saints would go on to hit four-straight from long range to pull away in the final minutes. Cunningham hit the first, before back-to-back makes by junior Aidan Phillips. Fisher knocked in the final basket.

Fisher led the team with 11 points, while McShea tallied 10 points and 11 rebounds for her 15th double-double of the year.

With their second-straight Atlantic East regular season championship, the Saints now look forward to the conference tournament. They earned a first-round bye as the No. 1 seed and will host a semifinal contest on Wednesday, February 26 at the Converse Family Fieldhouse against the lowest-remaining seed in the tournament. Log on to www.marymountsaints.com for more information, as it becomes available.