Alverno College

MILWAUKEE – The Alverno basketball team opened the 2019-20 season at the Mount Mary Blue Angel Tip-Off Tournament and faced off against the Blackburn Beavers at the Bloechl Center in West Milwaukee. The Inferno dropped the closely-contested matchup by a 73-67 score.
 
The Inferno were led by freshman Eniya Madden, who led the team with 21 points on the night as she connected on 8-of-19 from the field. Fellow newcomer in junior Alicia Hornbuckle, added 19 points as she converted on five field goals and seven from the free-throw line.
 
Junior Dom Hudson picked up 17 points on the night, as she shot 7-of-12 from the field. Senior Sara Redlin had three points on a three-point basket, while junior Mikayla Tessay picked up four points. Freshman Keeshya Bellows rounded out the scoring with a three-point night.
 
Madden was one rebound and one steal shy of a triple-double, ending with nine caroms and nine swipes on the evening. Bellows had six boards and two blocks, while Redlin led the squad with five assists. Freshman Ashley Flores also registered her first career appearance, playing in the final minute of the game.
 
Blackburn got the opening basket after Alverno won the tip, before the Beavers added four more points to take a 6-0 advantage. Hornbuckle put the Inferno on the board this season to make the score 6-2 off a Redlin dish. Madden followed with a layup following a defensive board by Hudson to trim the lead to one possession.
 
Hornbuckle drained a three-pointer to put the Inferno ahead for the first time on the night before Madden picked up a layup to give Alverno a three-point lead. Blackburn closed out the quarter on an 11-4 run to take a 17-13 lead into the second quarter.
 
The Inferno opened the second quarter with nine unanswered points to take a 22-17 lead, as the run was capped off by a layup by Hudson after Madden picked up a steal and dished the ball to Hudson for the layup. The two sides battled closely as the score was tied at 25 before Hudson dropped a three-ball at the 2:53 mark to put Alverno ahead 28-25.
 
Madden and Bellows followed with layups to push Alverno's lead to seven. Blackburn capped off the half with a jumper in the final minute as the teams went into the break with the Inferno ahead by a 32-27 score.
 
After the intermission both sides started the half cold before Blackburn picked up one free throw with 8:15 to go in the third. The Inferno continued to hold a two-to-three possession lead down the stretch of the quarter before the Beavers evened the score at 41 with 2:20 on the clock. Alverno took a 45-43 lead into the fourth quarter.
 
It was once against Hornbuckle to open the scoring in the quarter as she converted on a layup followed by the ensuing and-one free throw to push Alverno's lead back up to five. Hornbuckle drilled another three-pointer with 8:20 left in regulation as the Inferno lead swelled to eight at 54-46.
 
However, Blackburn chipped away and pulled to within one at 57-56 before it was Hudson to connect on a key three-pointer. The Beavers tied the score at 64 with 2:22 left before scoring eight unanswered points to take a 72-64 lead. Tessay picked up a layup with 11 seconds left for Alverno, followed by one Hornbuckle free throw but it was not enough as the Beavers held on for the comeback victory.

Alverno (0-1) will look to bounce back tomorrow afternoon, when the Inferno play in the second day of the tip-off tournament at Mount Mary. The Inferno will square off against Northland for a 3 p.m. tipoff inside the Bloechl Center.