MILWAUKEE -- In the first home game of 2015 for the Mount Mary University Blue Angels, Grinnell College defeated MMU 86-48. After tonight's contest, the Blue Angels are now at 1-10 on the season, while the Pioneers move to 5-6.
Both teams came out of the gate firing, the contest began with the teams going back and forth for the first 8 minutes of play. Once the score hit 18-15 GC, the Pioneers clamped on the full court press, and forced MMU to commit 10 turnovers in the half as opposed to the Pioneers three. While the first half saw both teams shot over 45 percent from the floor, the only thing that seemed to give GC the lead was the difference in free-throws made and three-pointers made.
The second half saw the Pioneers applying the full court press for a majority of the time. The short bench for MMU played a factor as the time passed, and the players started to become fatigued. The Blue Angels saw better passing and movement on offense, but shot only 30 percent from the field in the half.
During this middle stretch of the season, Becky Onan (Fr./Grafton, Wis.) has been growing into a dominate role on the Blue Angels roster. The rookie forward has been stretching out the opposition with her quick release and accuracy. Averaging 9.2 points per game, Onan is second in scoring for the Blue Angels. Onan finished with 19 points, five rebounds, three assists and two blocks.
Another newcomer had a big offensive performance Chrisandra Freeman (Fr./Cedar Rapids, Iowa) dropped 16 points and five rebounds.
Leading the way offensively for the Pioneers Alissa Hirsh had 18 points and four assists.
Following tonight's matchup, MMU will have a week to get ready for their next game against the Illinois Institute of Technology. The contest against Scarlet Hawks is set for Tuesday Jan. 13th at 7:00 pm in Chicago, Ill. at the Keating Sports Center.
