CHICAGO – The sophomore tandem of Brianna Duke (Milwaukee, Wis./Rufus King) and Talesa Campbell (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./Boyd Anderson) each tallied a team-high 16 points, but it was not enough as host North Park University cruised to a New Year's Eve victory Friday afternoon, 93-41.
The loss drops Mount Mary to 0-12 overall on the year, while North Park improves to 8-2.
The leading sophomore pair finished with nearly identical statlines Friday with Duke recording four rebounds, three assists, and a steal to accompany her 7-for-14 shooting from the floor. Campbell added three rebounds, three steals, and two assists to her 7-for-15 shooting night.
Outside of Duke and Campbell, four other Blue Angels scored a total of nine points collectively. Senior Brianna Jashinsky (Butler, Wis./Hamilton) chipped in four points and recorded a team-high five rebounds off the bench. Freshman Lisette Rodriguez (Bensenville, Ill./Fenton) sunk her only bucket taken, adding three rebounds and three blocks. Junior Sarah Shaffer (Webster, Wis./Siren) added a basket, two rebounds, two assists, and a steal.
Freshman Natalie McDermott (Waukesha, Wis./Waukesha North) made MMU's lone free throw—going 1-for-9 from the line as a team—to go with a trio of rebounds and an assist. Sophomore Ashton Longazel (Menomonee Falls, Wis./Menomonee Falls) and freshman Brianna Brown (San Diego, Calif./Herbert Hoover) each saw time as a reserve, with Longazel snagging a rebound.
The Vikings raced out to an early 17-0 lead before a Duke layup at the 6:40 mark of the opening frame finally opened the scoring for MMU. NPU would lead 31-11 at the end of the first, and pushed that lead out to 53-20 at the halftime break.
Turnovers plagued the Blue Angels once again Friday, as North Park turned 32 MMU miscues into 37 points. The Vikings also scored 19 second chance points off 25 offensive rebounds.
Mount Mary shot a higher percentage from the floor, but was doubled-up on both shot attempts and shots made—18-for-41 (43.9 percent) versus North Park's 37-for-86 (43.0 percent).
Next Up
The Blue Angels will have another tough matchup Tuesday as they welcome the unbeaten North Central (Minn.) to Milwaukee. MMU and the Rams met back in November, with NCU storming to a 104-49 win in Minneapolis. Tipoff for the rematch is slated for 6 p.m. at Bloechl Center.
