MILWAUKEE – The Alverno basketball team opened up Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference competition inside the Reiman Gymnasium on Tuesday evening against the MSOE Raiders, with the Raiders picking up the 66-41 victory.
 
Alverno was led by junior Keeshya Bellows registered her second consecutive double-double as she tallied 14 points and 10 rebounds, with all 10 caroms coming off of the defensive glass. Bellows also chipped in three blocks with one assist on the contest as she shot 6-of-10 from the field.
 
Sophomore Courtney Zarda knocked down a pair of three-pointers as she finished the game with seven points, while also collecting three assists. Junior Grace Lupumba had a team-best five steals and also had a pair of blocks as she registered seven rebounds and four points on the game.
 
Freshman Lauryn Hilliard picked up eight points and eight rebounds in reserve and also had one steal on the game. Classmate Jewel Zahradka picked up six points and had one rebound, while sophomore Sofia Jorgensen rounded out the scoring with a basket and one rebound.
 
Senior Dom Hudson had two rebounds, while junior Angie Reutgen picked up four rebounds. Freshman Morgan Golabowski led Alverno with four assists, while she also chipped in with one steal and one rebound.
 
Lupumba opened the scoring for the Inferno as Alverno jumped up by a 2-0 score. MSOE scored next to even the score, before connecting on a three-pointer to take a 5-2 lead. The Raiders were able to take a 10-point lead with just over a minute to go in the quarter before Hilliard knocked down a pair of the free-throw line, before Zahradka knocked down a three-pointer to pull Alverno back within five at 22-17.
 
The Inferno trailed by 13 at 34-21 late in the opening half, but the Inferno put together a run of five points, on a three-point play by Bellows and a layup by Hilliard to cut the deficit to three possessions. The Raiders scored once more on a three-pointer to close out the half as MSOE went into the locker room ahead by a 37-26 score.
 
Both teams were cold out of the halftime period, as the Raiders were first on the board in the second half with three minutes gone by. The seven point-run by MSOE was stopped on a three-pointer by Zahradka before another six points by the Raiders, Zarda ended the third quarter on a three-pointer as Alverno trailed 50-32 heading into the final period.
 
The Raiders opened the fourth period with 11 unanswered, before Zarda drilled another long-range shot, followed by a layup by Bellows. Lupumba scored next in the game, before Jorgensen connected on a short-range jumper to pull Alverno within a 61-41 margin. The Raiders closed out the game on a five-point run to cap off the scoring at 66-41.
 
Alverno (1-4, 0-1 NACC) will be on the road for its next two contests, beginning with Concordia Chicago on Saturday afternoon. The game begins at 2 p.m. from the Geiseman Gymnasium.