CHICAGO – After a two-week hiatus, the Mount Mary University basketball team returned to action Tuesday evening, falling to Illinois Institute of Technology, 59-46, at Keating Sports Center.
Mount Mary, which followed up an eight-game-in-16-day start to the season with two consecutive weeks off, fell to 0-9 on the year with Tuesday's loss. IIT improved to 3-6 on the year, sweeping the season series with MMU.
Sophomore Talesa Campbell (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla./Boyd Anderson) led the Blue Angels with 20 points, adding seven rebounds, four assists, and four steals. Sophomore Brianna Duke (Milwaukee, Wis./Rufus King) added eight points to accompany eight rebounds, five assists, and a game-high six steals.
Senior Brianna Jashinsky (Butler, Wis./Hamilton) scored six points and four rebounds while freshman Lisette Rodriguez (Bensenville, Ill./Fenton) snagged seven rebounds to go with a make bucket. Junior Sarah Shaffer (Webster, Wis./Siren) and freshman Natalie McDermott (Waukesha, Wis./Waukesha North) each added four points, while sophomore Ashton Longazel (Menomonee Falls, Wis./Menomonee Falls) added a bucket of her own.
Mount Mary took advantage of some easy looks, jumping out to an early 8-3 lead. However, the Blue Angel offense would stall after a Campbell triple at the 3:58 mark, as IIT used a 12-0 run spanning the quarter break to take control. A Shaffer jumper would cut the Scarlet Hawk lead to 30-26 right before the half.
After trading baskets to open the second half, Mount Mary's side of the scoreboard seemed stuck at 28 as the Blue Angels went more than six minutes without finding the bottom of the net. Finally, a Jashinsky layup broke the streak, but MMU found itself down by 11. Another Jashinsky jumper cut that lead to seven, 45-38, but IIT held off any lingering threat the rest of the way.
The Blue Angels will continue their busy week with a Thursday game against Rockford University. MMU welcomes the Regents to the Bloechl Center for a 6 p.m. tip.
