Blue Angels Late Win Against Sabres

Blue Angels Late Win Against Sabres

MILWAUKEE – Tonight at the Bloechl Center, the Mount Mary University basketball team defeated the Marian University Sabres (0-3) by a final score of 60-57. The Blue Angels (2-3) regained the lead late as they won the close three-point contest.

Junior guard Megan Johnson (Waukesha, Wis.) led the Blue Angels on offense with 18 points. Johnson hit from inside and out while also going a perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line.

Fellow guard Rae Grubbs (Sr./Covington, Ind.) hit 2-of-5 from outside the three-point line one her way to 16 points against the Sabres in Wednesday night's contest.

Guards Melissa Golo (So./Boise, Idaho) and Nyasia Hardy (Fr./Fort Wayne, Ind.) kept the offense going with five and four assists respectively.

On defense, MMU was led by transfer Zyah Burnett (Jr./Indianapolis, Ind.) with 10 rebounds, eight of which were on the defensive end. Burnett also added one block and one steal to her totals to help limit her opponents to hitting 36.2 percent from the field as a team.

The Blue Angels took the lead early and limited their opponent's possessions in the first quarter. MMU took an early 11-6 lead where the Blue Angels forced the Sabres into scoring droughts lasting three and two minutes.

In the first frame, the Sabres hit only 4-of-14 and 0-of-3 from outside the 3-point line. MMU continued to attack the basket and hit 6-of-19 from the field on their way to a 15-8 lead after the first ten minutes of play.

In the second quarter, the Blue Angels continued to pressure the opposition. Marian hit 4-of-12 from the field and turned the ball over four times in the second. The Blue Angels kept their opponents at bay by out rebounding them 11-8 in the second. The teams went into the locker rooms at halftime with a score of 23-18, with MMU in the lead.

The Sabres took the lead late in the third quarter after the two teams traded buckets throughout the period. After Marian went up by as much as four with a minute left in the third, the Blue Angels hit a timely three-pointer off the hands of Rae Grubbs. Then MMU went onto recapture the lead after a late made free throw and an Aliyah Moore (Fr./Milwaukee, Wis.) layup.

The teams again traded possessions and baskets throughout the start of the fourth quarter. With four minutes left to go in the game, the Sabres hit a three-pointer that gave them a 53-51 lead. Over the next two minutes, Grubbs scored a pair of layup through the heart of the lane to give MMU a 55-53 lead. The Sabres tied the game again at 55-55, but a jumper and a pair of made free throws from Megan Johnson iced the game as MMU took the 60-57 lead.

"The team showed the resolve to step up in high pressure moments to cover for teammates that were in foul trouble and step outside their comfort zone and execute," said Mount Mary University Head Basketball Coach John Baillie after MMU's second win of the seaosn.

After tonight's contest, the Blue Angels will return to action Sat. Nov. 23 at the Bloechl Center. MMU will take on Martin Luther College (0-5) at 2:00 pm on Saturday. Live stats and video for the contest can be found at MtMaryAthletics.com.