MILWAUKEE – Sophomore Brianna Duke (Milwaukee, Wis./Rufus King) recorded a career-high 24 points and the Mount Mary University basketball team erased a 20-point second quarter deficit Tuesday evening, but host Alverno College survived the Blue Angel rally to win the rivalry matchup, 56-52, at Reiman Gym.
It was Alverno's (1-3) first win of the year, snapping a 15-game losing streak dating back to the 2019-20 season. Mount Mary, playing its seventh match in 14 days, fell to 0-7 on the year.
Duke's game-high 24 points accompanied eight rebounds, six assists, and five steals. Sophomore Talesa Campbell (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./Boyd Anderson) added 10 points, four boards, three assists, and a pair of steals, while senior Brianna Jashinsky (Butler, Wis./Hamilton) added seven points and five rebounds.
Freshman Lisette Rodriguez (Bensenville, Ill./Fenton) added five points and four rebounds in a full 40 minutes of play, and junior Sarah Shaffer (Webster, Wis./Siren) added a pair of buckets and rebounds. Sophomore Ashton Longazel (Menomonee Falls, Wis./Menomonee Falls) notched five rebounds, and freshman Natalie McDermott (Waukesha, Wis./Waukesha North) returned Tuesday with a basket, a trio of rebounds, and a steal.
The Inferno shot the absolute lights out early, hitting going 8-for-17 from three in the first half alone—including a buzzer-beating toss from just over midcourt. At the midpoint break, the hosts held a commanding lead 35-20.
Alverno stretched its lead to 40-20 at the 8:49 mark in the third, but just when it looked about over, Mount Mary locked in on defense and got to work chipping away. Disrupting Alverno's offense and finishing the defensive possession with strong rebounding, Mount Mary closed the third quarter on a 16-2 run to pull within six, 42-36.
That Blue Angel surge continued into the fourth quarter as an offensive rebound by Longazel, followed by a lay-in by Rodriguez cut that lead to four. Back-to-back stops with consecutive free-throws and a deep triple from Duke completed the biggest comeback of the season and handed MMU its first lead since the opening basket, 43-42, with just under nine minutes to go.
Alverno ended what was a 23-2 Blue Angel run with a quick 5-0 spurt of its own, and the four-point lead held for over four minutes of intense defensive pressure by both teams. A Jashinsky baseline jumper and a Duke pullup in the lane were answered by the Inferno each time, but five straight points from Campbell—capped off by a triple with 45 seconds remaining—shaved the Alverno lead to 53-52.
Disciplined defense unfortunately led to MMU's needing to foul five times to get Alverno into a stopped-clock free-throw situation, and the Inferno hit a pair with 14 seconds left to get it back to three. A pull-up three from Duke came up short as the hosts secured the rebound and finally finished off the tenacious Blue Angel comeback bid.
Next Up
Mount Mary will finish the week off with a post-Thanksgiving matchup at University of Dubuque Saturday afternoon. Tip off is slated for 2:00 p.m. at UD's Stoltz Sports Center.
