Basketball

MILWAUKEE – The Mount Mary basketball team is still working through the proverbial kinks in this young 2013-14 campaign, and Tuesday night's game at nearby Wisconsin Lutheran was pretty evident of that as the Warriors surged to a 104-36 home-opening victory over the Blue Angels.

The three-time Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference champion Warriors were tabbed by preseason coaches to again reign supreme in NACC play, and they showed just why Tuesday night with suffocating defense and incredibly balanced offense.

Mount Mary did keep things interesting early on; despite giving up a 10-0 run to start the game, the Blue Angels closed to within 11-6 on a pair of scores from freshman forward Taylor Baumgart (Burlington, Wis.).

WLC promptly responded with a 24-0 run of its own to all but put the game away midway through the first half.

Senior guard Emily Barker (Oconomowoc, Wis.) led the Blue Angels with 12 points—the only Blue Angel in double-digit scoring. Baumgart and senior center Ashley Leverenz (Mauston, Wis.) both tallied eight points while freshman Phoenix Hulsey (Wauwatosa, Wis.) tallied a team-high six rebounds.

The Warriors shot a blistering 52 percent from the field, compared to just 31 for the Blue Angels. MMU also struggled from the free throw line, going 3-for-12 from the stripe.

With arguably the most challenging game on its schedule behind it, Mount Mary will regroup for a busy home stretch before the Thanksgiving break. The Blue Angels host Lawrence University on Friday at 6:00 p.m. before a back-to-back slate against Milwaukee School of Engineering and North Central (Minn.) Monday and Tuesday.