Alverno College

MILWAUKEE – On Tuesday evening, the Alverno basketball team returned from the short Thanksgiving break and fell to crosstown foe Milwaukee School of Engineering by the score of 53-48 from inside the Reiman Gymnasium.
 
The closely-contested matchup saw 11 lead changes and four ties throughout the 40-minute contest, as Alverno shot 36.2% from the field overall in contrast to MSOE's 38.5% from the floor.
 
The Inferno were led by freshman Keeshya Bellows, who recorded the first double-double of her career as she led the team with both 14 points and 11 rebounds, including nine on the defensive glass. Freshman Eniya Madden had five steals, while Bellows and junior Dom Hudson each had three.
 
Senior Sara Redlin was second on the team in scoring with 13 points as she connected on three three-pointers. Junior Alicia Hornbuckle picked up 10 points on 5-of-9 shooting with six boards and three assists. Madden led the Inferno with six assists on the night while converting on a team-best two free throws.
 
The Raiders started the game with six unanswered points but the Inferno responded as Redlin connected on the first of her three-pointers while Bellows followed with a layup to trim the early deficit to one. Alverno added to its scoring run as Redlin drilled a fast-break three-pointer to put the Inferno ahead for the first time on the night at 8-6 with 3:48 to go in the opening stanza.
 
Alverno's lead swelled to three at 12-9 following a Hornbuckle layup, before the Raiders scored a jumper with 1:47 in the quarter to close out the scoring as Alverno held a 12-11 lead heading into the second quarter.
 
The lead exchanged hands numerous times in the opening stages of the second quarter, which ultimately ended with the Inferno once again taking a one-point lead into the locker room following an evenly scored 10-10 second quarter.
 
Scoring was aplenty in the early-going of the third quarter as MSOE took a 29-28 lead with 8:11 on the clock. The Raiders extended their lead to three on a layup, before Redlin responded with a three-ball to knot the score at 31. The shot sparked the Inferno as Hornbuckle connected on a jumper followed by back-to-back layups by Bellows to make it 37-31 in favor of the home team.
 
Bellows made it three-straight baskets as she gave Alverno its largest lead of the night at 39-31 with 2:48 left in the quarter. MSOE closed out the period on a 5-2 run as the Inferno held onto a five-point lead with one quarter left to play.
 
In the fourth, the Raiders scored the first two field quarter of the stanza to cut Alverno's lead to one before Madden put an end to the run with a jumper in the paint with 6:09 left in regulation. The Raiders ultimately wrestled the lead away after tying the score but the Inferno regained a lead at 45-44 on a Hornbuckle jumper, which was quickly answered by a three-pointer from MSOE.


Madden tied the score at 4 on a jumper with 2:15 to go on the clock before Hudson connected on 1-of-2 from the line to put Alverno ahead 48-47. MSOE drilled a three-pointer with a minute to go, opening a two-point lead before connected on three-straight free throws to ice the game to put the game out of reach as the Raiders hung on for the five-point victory.
 
Alverno (1-4, 1-1 NACC) will be on the road for their next two contests beginning with a matchup at 2 p.m. on Saturday afternoon against Wisconsin Lutheran at the Warrior Recreation Complex as NACC play continues.