MANITOWOC, Wis. – The Mount Mary University basketball team lost tonight's game against host Silver Lake College (4-4). The Lakers took an early first half lead to a 77-51 victory which moves the Blue Angels to 2-5 on the 2017-18 season.
The Lakers grabbed an early lead in this one. Hitting multiple shots from the field, SLC put a quick 19 points on the board. The Blue Angels kept pace early despite the hot shooting from the opposition. The persistence of the Blue Angels slowed down the Laker offense towards the end of the first quarter and continued to clamp down throughout the second quarter.
MMU trailed 19-12 to begin play in the second, but the Blue Angels continued to work their defense and keep the opposition within striking range by attacking the paint. Those efforts consistently found the Blue Angels at the free throw line, which part of the plan going into the contest.
"Offensively we wanted to be more aggressive with our drives to the basket," added Mount Mary Head Basketball Coach Marc Heidorf. "The 36 free throws suggests we did alright (sic) there but I think the kids would tell you we still were passive at some times."
The Lakers took a 29-22 lead at halftime and added two twenty-point plus quarters to in the second half to expand their lead. The Blue Angels came away with a 17-point final quarter, but the persistent scoring from the Lakers led to SLC grabbing their fourth win of the season.
"We knew their height would be a challenge. We were not consistent enough with our effort boxing out to hang for four quarters."
MMU made 26-of-36 free throws as a team and limited themselves to just ten turnovers. Becky Onan (Sr./Grafton, Wis.) and rookie Kaylie Cook (Fr./Fairborn, Ohio) each led the Blue Angels with 14 points each. Both Blue Angels made the most of their opportunities at the line as Onan hit 7-of-10 while Cook hit 8-of-12.
Following tonight's contest, the Blue Angels will have time to prepare for their next game against the Milwaukee School of Engineering. MMU will host the Raiders at the Bloechl Center on Mon. Dec. 18 in the final game of the calendar year for the Blue Angels. Live stats and video will be made available for the 7:00 pm tipoff at mtmaryathletics.com.
