MILWAUKEE – The Alverno basketball team closed out the calendar year for home events on the Alverno College campus on Tuesday evening, hosting non-conference Lawrence as the Inferno fell to the Vikings by a 59-43 margin.
 
Junior Angie Reutgen led the Inferno with 15 points as she connected on six field goals and three free throws at the charity stripe. Reutgen was one rebound shy of a double-double, ending the night with nine as she also led the team with three assists and had one steal in the effort.
 
Junior Grace Lupumba also scored in double figures as she netted a dozen points to go along with seven rebounds, with one assist and a season-best four blocks to go along with four steals. Senior Dom Hudson had five points, including one three-pointer, as she had two assists and three boards.
 
Freshman Jewel Zahradka picked up four points and five rebounds with one steal, while sophomore Courtney Zarda chimed in with one long-range shot and added a pair of helpers. Freshman Morgan Golabowski picked up two points and three steals while corralling two rebounds; as classmate Lauryn Hilliard played 23 minutes and picked up eight rebounds to go along with one assist, two points and a steal.
 
Lupumba got the Inferno started out on the right foot with a jumper in the paint off of a dish by Reutgen, Lawrence connected on one free throw before Reutgen tallied a jumper to put the Inferno ahead 4-1. Lawrence picked up a layup before Lupumba answered, as the team exchanged baskets in the early-going as Alverno led 8-5 with 6:52 to go.
 
Hudson gave the Inferno a three-point lead with a jumper at 4:41 but the Vikings connected on a three ball on the ensuing possession to even the game at 10. Lawrence took its first lead of the game on a free throw and extended the lead to give before Hudson drilled a three-pointer with 1:24 to go to pull Alverno back within a bucket at 15-13. Lawrence potted a late layup to take a 17-13 lead into the second quarter.
 
After Lawrence scored to open the second quarter, Zahradka picked up a layup off of a feed by Hudson; before connecting on another lay-in from a Golabowski pass to pull the Inferno back within two at 19-17. The Vikings scored the next six to extend their lead before Hilliard broke the run with a layup. After three minutes of scoreless basketball, the Vikings knocked down a three-pointer with 24 ticks left to take a nine-point lead at 28-19.
 
The drought continued for both sides to start the second half, aside from a Lawrence jumper and a Zarda three-pointer before the Vikings added two more to their lead at 32-22 with 5:50 left in the third. The Inferno got back to within six after a layup by Lupumba and a jumper by Reutgen, but the Vikings scored eight of the next 10 points in the game to take a 12-point lead at 40-28. With time expiring, Reutgen was fouled on a long-range heave and was sent to the line for three, where she converted all three to send Alverno into the fourth quarter trailing by nine at 40-31.
 
Lawrence scored the first five points of the final quarter before Lupumba and Reutgen went back-to-back to pull Alverno back within 10. The Inferno were not able to get any closer in the waning minutes of the game as the Vikings pulled away late for the 16-point win.
 
Alverno (1-8) will head to warmer weather this coming weekend as the Inferno travels to take part in the St. Pete Classic at Eckerd College. The Inferno will meet local Midwest foe Lake Forest at 10:00 a.m. (CST) on Sunday, December 19; before taking on Berry at 4:00 p.m. (CST) on Monday, December 20.