The Mount Mary University basketball team continues its 2021-22 campaign with a pair of road games in This Week in Blue Angel Athletics for November 22-28, 2021.

Rivalry at Reiman Headlines Basketball Slate

The Blue Angel cagers have had a very busy two weeks, playing six games in 11 days to start the year. MMU will play its seventh game in 14 days Tuesday, facing off with heated crosstown rival Alverno College at AC's Reiman Gymnasium at 7 p.m. The Blue Angels will then cap off the week with at University of Dubuque Saturday afternoon.

Despite still seeking its first win, Mount Mary (0-6) has shown signs of promise all season. The Blue Angels played even for much of Tuesday's contest with Dominican (Ill.) before a fourth-quarter Star burst put the game away, 65-43.  MMU then battled to its first halftime lead of the season Thursday at Marian (Wis.), before hot Sabre shooting in the second half eventually ended in a 66-49 win for the hosts. Saturday, MMU cut a 22-point deficit in half but Crown turned 27 MMU turnovers into 35 points, doubling-up the Blue Angels 79-39.  

The Blue Angels, with just six active players the past three games, have all pulled major minutes early this season. Sophomore Talesa Campbell (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./Boyd Anderson) leads MMU offensively with 16.8 points per game, and recorded her first double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 rebounds Thursday. Sophomore Brianna Duke (Milwaukee, Wis./Rufus King) added a double-double of her own Saturday against Crown with 10 points and 10 rebounds, and currently averages 10.7 points and a team-high 3.2 assists and 6.7 rebounds per game.

Alverno (0-3) is also looking for its first win of the year, having played two common opponents as Mount Mary in this young season. The Inferno most recently dropped a 60-52 contest to Crown last Friday, the day before the Storm made it a women's college sweep at Bloechl Center. Keeshya Bellows poured in a game-high 23 points Friday and currently leads Alverno with 13 points per game. Grace Lupumba adds 10 points and a team-high 14.3 rebounds per contest.

Dubuque (3-0) is off to a hot start with three straight victories over Marian (Wis.), Rockford, and Cornell College to start the season. The Spartans have outscored those opponents by nearly 23 points per game, and have done so by shooting an even 40 percent (80-for-200) from the floor. All five starters are averaging at least 5.3 points per game, led by Tabria Thomas and Karsen Kershner's team-best 13.3 and 12.3 respective points per game averages.

On the Calendar

Tuesday, November 23

7 p.m. – Basketball at Alverno (Reiman Gym – Milwaukee, Wis.)

Saturday, November 27

2 p.m. – Basketball at Dubuque (Stoltz Sports Center – Dubuque, Iowa)