JACKSONVILLE, Ill. – Two prolific Mount Mary University student-athletes completed their basketball careers Monday evening at MacMurray College, but the Blue Angels came up on short end of a 62-37 decision.
Seniors Emily Barker (Oconomowoc, Wis.) and Ashley Leverenz (Mauston, Wis.), who both graduated in December, led the Blue Angels Monday night with 18 and 13 points respectively. Barker also tallied a team-high nine rebounds and four steals.
Without the services of sophomore guard Yolanda Coleman (Wauwatosa, Wis.), ball-handling was an area of concern for the Angels. To start the game, Mount Mary committed seven turnovers before taking its first shot attempt.
Despite spotting the Highlanders an 8-point lead, the Angels held that deficit through much of the first half, closing to within five points on multiple occasions. Mount Mary even used timely hits from Barker, sophomore Taylor Baumgart (Burlington, Wis.) and a Leverenz buzzer-beater to close to within 33-26 at the half.
Returning to the floor after halftime, the Highlanders took advantage of Mount Mary's missed opportunities and opened with a 14-0 run of their own. Mount Mary went 4-for-23 (17.4 percent) from the floor and a dismal 3-for-13 from the free throw line in the second half alone as the Highlanders inflated its lead to 31 with just less than three minutes remaining in the game.
On the night, MacMurray converted the Blue Angels' 29 turnovers into 33 points.
While the capstone may not have ended as favorably for the senior duo as they may have liked, Barker and Leverenz have left their marks on Mount Mary athletics as multiple-sport athletes and multiple-sport award winners.
The remaining Blue Angels will head into the closing stretch of their season schedule with five games remaining. They will have a change to regroup and retool some things in practice before traveling to Maranatha Baptist on Friday, January 31—MMU's next matchup.
