CHICAGO – The Alverno basketball team took to the road on Thursday evening, as the Inferno made up a previously postponed conference matchup against the Illinois Tech Scarlet Hawks at the Keating Sports Center. Unlike, the previous matchup that needed two extra periods to conclude, it was the Scarlet Hawks to escape with a slim three-point win over the Inferno, 47-44.
 
Freshman Lauryn Hilliard led the way for the Inferno as she registered a season-best 17 points in the effort. Hilliard also recorded the first double-double of her career as she led the Inferno with 11 rebounds, including nine on the defensive glass. Hilliard also added to the offensive effort with three assists.
 
Junior Angie Reutgen was second on the team with 10 points, while Reutgen also corralled four assists and was tied for the team lead with two steals. Senior Dom Hudson was tied for the steals lead on the night for Alverno as she recorded eight points including a pair of three-pointers, while also chipping in with three assists.
 
Freshman Jewel Zahradka had nine points, and had seven rebounds with one assist and one steal. Sophomore Courtney Zarda had the team's lone block on the night, and had one rebound. Freshman Morgan Golabowski led the Inferno with five assists, and also pulled down three rebounds and had one steal.
 
The Scarlet Hawks leapt out to an early four-point lead before Hilliard connected on one from the charity stripe to pull Alverno within three at 4-1. Hilliard also scored the Inferno's first field goal of the night on a layup off of a dish from Golabowski. Zahradka connected on a three-pointer to pull Alverno within one at 7-6 but Illinois Tech responded with a three-pointer of their own.
 
The Inferno were able to pull the score within one at 13-12 on a Hilliard layup in the final minute, but the Scarlet Hawks extended the lead to three with 22 seconds left in the quarter.
 
Illinois Tech led by five on two occasions in the early stages of the second period, but the Inferno dug deep and chipped into the lead on a Reutgen jumper, Hilliard jumper and Hilliard layup as the Inferno trailed by a 21-20 margin with 5:36 left in the half. After a pair from the stripe by Illinois Tech, Hudson knocked down a three-pointer to even the score at 23.
 
The Inferno were unable to take the lead in the waning minutes of the first half, but knotted the score at 27 heading into the halftime break.
 
After a lengthy drought by both teams to open the second half, the first basket of the third quarter came from Hilliard with 3:41 left in the period as the Inferno took their first lead of the night at 29-27. After the Scarlet Hawks tied the score, Hudson drilled another three-pointer to put the Inferno up 32-29 with 1:51 left in the third period.
 
Reutgen and Zahradka made shots down the stretch in the third quarter to put the Inferno ahead 36-32 heading into the final quarter of regulation.
 
Reutgen opened the fourth quarter with a jumper to give Alverno a six-point advantage before the Scarlet Hawks closed the gap to one on five unanswered points. Hudson made a layup to put the Inferno ahead by three, but Illinois Tech scored the next four points to regain a one-point lead.
 
After Illinois Tech led by a bucket, Hilliard made a clutch layup to even the score at 44 with just under a minute to go. The Scarlet Hawks made the next three at the free throw line to take a three-point lead but Alverno was not able to get a shot off in the closing seconds despite Zarda nearly being fouled on a three-point shot at the buzzer.
 
Alverno (1-17, 0-11 NACC) will resume its regularly scheduled contests on Saturday evening, when the Inferno return home for a 7 p.m. start at Reiman Gymnasium against the Dominican Stars.