ROCKFORD, Ill. – The host Rockford Regents defeated the Mount Mary University basketball team by a score of 63-54. The Regents took a 39-27 halftime lead then sustained the lead for their second victory of season.
Rae Grubbs (Sr./Covington, Ind.) led the offense for the Blue Angels in their contest against the Regents. The senior guard hit 4-of-12 from outside the three-point arc on her way to 16 points. Teammate Erica Williams (Jr./Bloomington, Ill.) also scored 16 points against Rockford. Williams went 4-of-6 from the free throw line and collected a team high eight rebounds.
Senior Lucy Pavelko (Muskego, Wis.) led things off the bench. Pavelko hit 2-of-4 from the field and a perfect 4-of-4 from the free throw on her way to 8 points.
The Blue Angels forced the Regents into a turnover in their opening possession. In MMU's first play on offense, Rae Grubbs drilled a three-pointer to give the Blue Angels a 3-0 lead. The Regents bounced back to take a 5-3 lead, then Grubbs hit her second early three-pointer for a 6-5 MMU lead.
Following an 8-0 run, the Regents went onto to take the first quarter 24-14. The Regents hit an effective 10-of-17 from the field and limited MMU to 26.7 percent from the field to take that early lead.
The Blue Angels attacked in the second quarter with a more effective output on both sides of the court. MMU hit 5-of-14 from the field on their way to 13 points in the frame. MMU also forced the Regents into six turnovers. After scoring 15 points, the Regents went into halftime with a 39-27 lead.
As they have multiple times this season, the Blue Angels outscored their opponent after their halftime chalk-talk. MMU clamped down on defense and held Rockford to 18.2 percent from the field in the third quarter.
After outscoring the Regents 11-9 in the third, the Blue Angels continued to apply pressure on defense. MMU forced Rockford into six fourth quarter turnovers and outscored their RU 16-15. Erica Williams scored eight points in the final quarter to lead her team on offense. The Blue Angels hit a perfect 4-of-4 from the free throw line, but the Regents took the victory 63-54.
MMU will return to action this Saturday when they head to Minnesota to take on Crown College. The Storm are 3-7 on the season and 1-4 at home. Live stats and video will be available at MtMaryAthletics.com for Saturday's game at 3:00 PM.
