Alverno College

MILWAUKEE – The Alverno basketball team closed out the 2019 half of its 2019-20 season with a 54-44 loss at home to non-conference Maranatha on Thursday evening inside Reiman Gymnasium.
 
Freshman Eniya Madden led the team in scoring as she connected on 15 points with five field goals and five free throws, while also leading the team with four steals and five assists on the night. Freshman Keeshya Bellows netted 10 points and was one rebound shy of a double-double as she ended her night with nine.
 
Senior Sara Redlin connected on three three-pointers for a total of nine points, while freshman Angie Reutgen added five points in 33 minutes off the bench. Junior Mikayla Tessay had one basket, while sophomore Brittney Hondel connected on a corner three-pointer for her lone field goal of the night. Junior Dom Hudson did not get into the scoring column, but was tied with Bellows for the team lead with nine rebounds.
 
Maranatha opened the scoring with the first four points of the game just 3:15 into the contest before Tessay opened the scoring for the Inferno off of a dish from Madden. The Sabercats connected on their own three-pointer before adding four more points to take an 11-2 lead. Alverno trailed by eight in the final stages of the quarter before Redlin drilled a three-ball off a feed from Hudson to make it 15-7 heading into the second quarter.
 
The second quarter was a low-scoring affair as the Inferno outscored the Sabercats by a 6-5 margin as Maranatha took a 17-13 lead into the halftime break.
 
To open up scoring in the second half, Bellows got on the scoresheet to cut the lead to two following another pass by Hudson. Maranatha scored the next three points before Madden converted on a layup to make it a one-possession game once again.
 
Following a jumper by the Sabercats, Hondel drilled a three off a feed from Madden to make the score 22-20 in favor of the road team before Maranatha scored the next basket to make it a two-possession game once again. The Sabercat lead swelled to 10 in the waning minutes of the third quarter before Bellows pulled Alverno back within eight at 32-24 with a final-second shot.
 
In the fourth quarter, Alverno got the Sabercat lead down to six with 9:21 to go in the contest, but Maranatha answered with four-straight points to take a 12-point lead. Alverno was only able to get back within five points following a Redlin three-pointer before Maranatha closed the game on a 6-1 run to runaway late for the 10-point win.
 
Alverno (2-8, 2-3 NACC) will be off through the New Year and return to conference play on Saturday, January 4, for a 2 p.m. tip against the Aurora Spartans in Aurora, Illinois to begin the final stretch of the season with 15-straight conference matchups to close the season.