Alverno College

PLYMOUTH, Wis. – The Alverno basketball team continued its stretch of taking on top in-league opponents on Saturday, as the Inferno travelled to the Woltzen Gymnasium to take on the Lakeland Muskies, falling to its hosts by a 71-50 final score.
 
Alverno started the game at a torrid pace shooting 63.6% from the field, going 7-for-11 overall and 2-of-5 from three-point land. However the fast start was not enough, trailing the Muskies by a 20-16 score at the first quarter before Lakeland pulled away in the second quarter and outscoring Alverno by just four points in the second half.
 
Freshman Keeshya Bellows led the team in scoring with 15 points, while also pulling down a team-best nine rebounds. Two players were tied with seven points apiece as senior Sara Redlin and freshman Eniya Madden both sank a pair from the field, while Redlin added one free throw and Madden added three. Madden was also second on the team with seven boards.
 
Juniors Alicia Hornbuckle and Mikayla Tessay both had six points apiece, as Hornbuckle was second to only Bellows with four from the charity stripe. Junior Dom Hudson had five points including one three-pointer, while sophomore Brittney Hondel added four points of her own.
 
Madden led the Inferno with five assists, while Hornbuckle was one off the team lead. Alverno as a team amassed six steals with two coming from Madden while Bellows, Hornbuckle, Hudson and freshman Angie Reutgen each had one apiece.
 
The Muskies won the opening tip but the Inferno got a defensive board by Hornbuckle off a missed shot by Lakeland. Alverno connected on its first shot of the afternoon, as Bellows laid the ball in following a dish by Madden. After a made shot by the Muskies, Bellows answered with a jumper before Lakeland knotted the second again at four.
 
Redlin knocked down the first of her two three-pointers on the game before Bellows connected on another jumper to put the Inferno ahead by five with 6:14 left in the opening quarter. The Muskies were able to trim Alverno's lead and eventually took the lead at 12-11 before Redlin knocked down another three-ball to put the Inferno ahead 14-12. Lakeland tied the score at 14 before taking a 20-16 lead to end the opening stanza.
 
In the second quarter, Alverno trimmed the Lakeland lead to three following a pair at the line by Bellows with 7:44 left in the half to make the score 23-20. However, Lakeland finished the half on a 16-2 run to take a 39-22 lead into the locker room.
 
The Inferno and Muskies went shot-for-shot in the third quarter as the Inferno were unable to cut into the Lakeland lead as the Muskies continued to answer with shots of their own.
 
Hondel sliced the deficit to 16 to open the fourth quarter but Lakeland was able to get the lead right back to 20 several possessions later. Hudson's three-pointer with 5:37 to go once again pulled the Inferno back within 16 at 62-46, but on the next possession Lakeland answered with a long-range shot of their own.
 
Lakeland scored its final basket of the game with 3:40 to go on a three-pointer, before the two sides were unable to put together any stability on the offensive side of the ball. Ultimately just one more layup was connected on as Hornbuckle converted with just under a minute to go to cap off the second at 71-50.
 
Alverno (2-11, 2-6 NACC) will return home to kick off the 2020 home season on Tuesday evening, when the Inferno host the Eagles of Edgewood College for a 7 p.m. tip inside Reiman Gymnasium.