BERRIEN SPRINGS, Mich. – The Mount Mary University basketball team defeated the Andrews University Cardinals this evening by a score of 57-55. The Blue Angels came back from down 10 points in the third quarter to grab the win and move to 3-9 on the season.
The two teams traded the lead five times in the contest. Each time, the respective lead seemed larger than the one prior. In the first quarter, the teams swapped possessions and baskets evenly. The Cardinals (6-6) took a slight 16-15 edge after the first ten minutes, but that lead would be short lived.
MMU jumped ahead in the second quarter with some timely shooting. The Blue Angels coupled that accurate shooting with some aggressive defense which led to MMU outscoring the opposition 16-7 in the second. Hitting 27.3 percent from the 3-point line in the first half propelled the Blue Angels to the 31-23 lead at half time.
The Cardinals turned the tables in the third quarter as they attacked the basket and grabbed the lead again with their interior scoring. The Cardinals held MMU to seven points in the third while scoring 21 of their own in a game that was nearing out of reach for the visiting Blue Angels.
Up for the challenge, the Blue Angels clamped down defensively while turning up the offense in the final frame. Hitting an effective 3-of-5 from outside in the second half was a major factor in the Blue Angels reenergized offense in the fourth quarter. The Blue Angels outscored the Cardinals by eight points in the final 10 minutes, and were able to come away with their third win of the season.
Rae Grubbs (So./Covington, Ind.) led the Blue Angels offensively with 17 points and four assists. Grubbs again took charge from outside the 3-point line hitting 3-of-8 attempts from outside.
Teammate Erica Williams (Fr./Bloomington, Ill.) pulled down a team leading 9 rebounds while scoring 11 points and grabbing a pair of steals. Fellow post presence Becky Onan (Sr./Grafton, Wis.) scored 15 points with five rebounds, a steal and a block.
"We showed some great resiliency tonight," said Mount Mary Head Basketball Coach Marc Heidorf. "There were some individual performances that I think can go a long way towards providing some much needed confidence."
"We definitely have some things to clean up if we want a chance to sweep this home-and-home on Sunday. Their 1-2 punch is among the best we have seen all year."
The Blue Angels will host Cardinals (6-6) this coming Sun. Jan. 21. At 2:00 pm. The Bloechl Center will play host to the Sunday matinee rematch along with a number of actives. More info, live stats and video can be found at mtmaryathletics.com.
