MILWAUKEE – The visiting Rams of North Central University defeated the Mount Mary University basketball team this evening at the Bloechl Center by a final score of 58-46. Despite the ferocious freshman forward Erica Williams' (Fr./Bloomington, Ill.) recording another double-double and sparking multiple Blue Angel heavy runs, the Rams held on to move to 4-9 on the season making the Blue Angels 2-9.
The Rams took the first lead in the Martin Luther King Junior Day showdown and did not surrender it throughout the 40 minutes of play. The Blue Angels, however, continued to whittle down the lead, and stuck within two to three possessions of the Rams until the final horn.
NCU was able to grab that first quarter lead courtesy of an 8-of-17 team performance from the field. The Blue Angels went 2-of-11 from the field, with Williams sparking her team hitting 2-of-2 field goals in the quarter and pulling down three rebounds.
MMU turned up the defensive pressure in the second, forcing their opponent to shoot 22.7 percent from the field in the frame. Freshmen Kaylie Cook (Fairborn, Ohio) and Williams led the second-quarter's scoring for the Blue Angels with four points each. Although finding it tough to shoot, the Rams outscored MMU 12-11 in the second, moving the NCU lead to 28-20 at the half.
To begin the third quarter, the Blue Angels again came out aggressively. Keeping their opponent to 27.8 percent from the field, MMU fired up for their most productive quarter of the night.
Becky Onan (Sr./Grafton, Wis.) broke out for 10 of the frame's 15 points. Onan made every shot count hitting 4-of-4 from the field, with two of those shots coming from beyond the 3-point line. Teammate Williams added an astonishing seven rebounds in the same quarter.
NCU held on for the 58-46 win. The Rams were guided by Lizzy Swanson who scored a game high 26 points. Ram teammate Haleigh Filer added 10 points, seven assists and seven steals.
Williams pulled down 18 rebounds in the contest; the most since Becky Onan finished a game with 17 rebounds on Jan. 9, 2016. Williams added 13 points, hitting 5-of-7 from the field and 3-of-6 from the free throw line. Williams led the team on defense with three steals and one block.
"Erica [Williams] is a blast to watch work out there when she is determined and focused," said Mount Mary Head Basketball Coach Marc Heidorf. "That's 5'7 (sic) pulling down 18 boards!"
The Blue Angels were led offensively by Onan who ended the game with 16 points. The senior forward also added five rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block to fill out her stat-line.
"Consistency was a big talking point for us heading into the game and unfortunately we are not quite there just yet," add Heidorf. "We just have to find ways to avoid digging early holes."
"We are getting there. It may be slower than we would like, but I continue to be encouraged by the pieces we have in place."
The Blue Angels will head to Berrien Springs, Mich. on Wed. Jan. 17 to take on the Cardinals of Andrews University. Live video of Wednesday's game will be available courtesy of the Andrews University Athletics Department. Links for the game can be found at mtmaryathletics.com. closer to the 4:30 pm CST tipoff.
