FOND DU LAC, Wis. -- Alverno College used a 12-0 run to open up the second half and cruised to a 66-42 Northern Athletics Conference victory over host Marian University this afternoon in Sadoff Gymnasium.

"After we shook off the cobwebs of a 2 week break I thought our team came out and played with more focus," Alverno head coach Brad Duckworth said. "In the second half we really executed much better on the defensive end which really sparked our run offensively."

The Inferno (7-8, 5-4 NAC) played their first game since Saturday, Jan. 9, and extended their winning streak to four games with the victory over the Sabres (4-11, 2-8 NAC).

Alverno led by five at halftime, 27-22, shooting only 34 percent in the first period. The Inferno then used their defensive pressure to force Marian into seven turnovers and a 0-of-5 shooting performance from the field in the first 5 minutes of the second period to take a 41-22 lead.

Alverno, which outscored Marian 22-3 on points off of turnovers, would extend their lead to as many as 28 points in the game before the final 24 point spread. The Inferno shot 50 percent (16-of-32) in the second half and were also a perfect 5-of-5 from the free-throw line.

Junior point guard Gabby Allen (Milwaukee, Wis./Bay View) led all scorers with 16 points and also had a game-high four steals for the Inferno.

Senior guard Lisa Sorgi (Milwaukee, Wis./Greenfield) recorded her second double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds to go along with three steals, while freshman center Rachel Diedrich (Two Rivers, Wis.) was two rebounds shy of a double-double of her own with 10 points, eight rebounds and four blocks.

Freshmen guards Kayla Kennedy (Trempealeau, Wis./G-E-T) and Marissa Christjohn (Milwaukee, Wis./Thomas More) came off the bench to score seven and six points, respectively, as the Inferno had 20 points from their bench compared to Marian's five. Alicia Kontowski (South Milwaukee, Wis.) had a game-high five assists to go along with five points of her own.

Emily Reiter (Hilbert, Wis.) led Marian with 10 points and pulled down seven rebounds in the losing effort.

The Inferno are next in action on Tuesday, Jan. 26, at Concordia University Chicago for a 7 p.m. tip-off. Alverno defeated the Cougars 61-56 in late November at home in Milwaukee.