MILWAUKEE – The Alverno basketball team played its longest game since the 2013-14 season with a double-overtime contest on Tuesday evening, as the Inferno played host to the Illinois Tech Scarlet Hawks. Despite the 50 minutes of basketball, it was the Scarlet Hawks to escape with the 73-66 win.
 
The last time the Inferno had played a double-overtime contest came on the road in 2013-14, when the Inferno at the Sadoff Gymnasium against the Marian Sabres, falling to the host Sabres on January 25 of that season by an 86-74 score.
 
On this night, the Inferno were led by junior Angie Reutgen, who tallied a career-high 17 points for the team night, to go along with seven rebounds, two assists, and one steal. Freshman Jewel Zahradka continues her hot start to 2022, with the first double-double of her career amassing a career-high in points with 15 and a career-high in rebounds with 11. Zahradka also contributed with two assists, a block and two steals.
 
Freshman Morgan Golabowski also picked up career highs in both points with 10 and rebounds with eight, as she registered a pair of assists and a trio of steals on the game. Senior Dom Hudson was just shy of a triple-double in all three categories, finishing the night with nine points, a career-best nine assists, and a season-high with eight boards.
 
Sophomore Courtney Zarda had a pair of three-pointers, while senior Mikayla Tessay had one point with three rebounds, and a steal. Freshman Lauryn Hilliard had eight points and six rebounds, to go with three steals in 23 minutes of play.
 
The Inferno trailed the Scarlet Hawks by a 30-20 score at the halftime, break, but stormed out to a big third quarter as Alverno outscored Illinois Tech by a 22-10 margin to take a 42-40 lead. Zarda got the Inferno started in the third quarter with a three-ball, followed by a layup from Hudson off of a Golabowski steal. Zahradka connected on a layup, followed by a shot off the glass by Hilliard. After three shots were made consecutively by the Scarlet Hawks, Zahradka, Hilliard and Golabowski pulled the Inferno within two.

Golabowski drilled a three-pointer with 1:16 left in the third quarter, followed by a three-pointer by Zahradka to give the Inferno the two-point lead heading into the final quarter of regulation.
 
Illinois Tech controlled most of the play in the early stages of the final quarter, before a Tessay free throw with 4:33 to go in regulation got the scoring going again for the Inferno. Reutgen sank two free throws, but the Scarlet Hawks connected on a three pointer with just over three minutes remaining.
 
Reutgen connected on a layup, followed by a Zahradka basket, before a Reutgen free throw and a Reutgen jumper with 25 seconds to go evened the score at 54. Both sides were unable to score on their final possessions in overtime, sending the Inferno to the extra session for the first time on the season.
 
In the first extra session, Illinois Tech led by a three-point lead with a 58-55 before Zahradka rebounded and put back the shot to pull Alverno back within one. Golabowski laid the ball into the basket to put the Inferno back up by one before a Hudson layup gave the Inferno a three-point advantage with 18 seconds to go. The Scarlet Hawks drilled a three-pointer in the final seconds to even the score at 61 and send the game to the second overtime.
 
Zarda got the scoring going in the second overtime period with a three-pointer but Illinois Tech responded with a three-pointer of their own to knot the score at 64. The Scarlet Hawks continued their run to a 10-0 rally to take a 71-64 lead. Reutgen scored a jumper, and Illinois Tech sank a pair from the line to close out the scoring at 73-66.
 
Alverno (1-12, 0-6 NACC) will be back in action at home again on Saturday evening at 7 p.m., when the Inferno play host to the Eagles of Benedictine inside Reiman Gymnasium.