MILWAUKEE – The Alverno basketball team fell in a closely contested matchup in its final home game of the regular season on Wednesday evening, falling on a last-second field goal to the Illinois Tech Scarlet Hawks by the score of 59-57 inside the Reiman Gymnasium.
 
Alverno led with 3:27 left in the fourth quarter at 53-51 following a basket by Shiauna Nixon-Boyd. The Scarlet Hawks scored the next three points to take a 54-53 lead before Nixon-Boyd converted a basket to give the Inferno a 55-54 lead with over two minutes remaining.
 
The Scarlet Hawks scored the next two points on a jumper before Dionna Woodson added two from the free throw line to give Alverno a 57-56 edge. However, a basket and a last-second foul against the Inferno saw Illinois Tech convert on one-of-two from the line to escape with the two-point victory.
 
The Inferno had big performances throughout the lineup as Alverno had a balanced attack on the evening. Nixon-Boyd led the team in scoring with 17 points on seven field goals made, while also connecting on one from the stripe. Nixon-Boyd's stat line concluded with six rebounds and three assists.
 
Dionna Woodson also contributed 16 rebounds. Woodson was second on the team in scoring with 16 points, eight rebounds, and added six assists on the effort.
 
Kyla Jamerson finished the contest with a double-double double performance securing 10 points and 10 rebounds her first this season. Riley Spencer and Morgan Whitten had five points each in the game. Senior Keeshya Bellow had four and the team's lone block on the night.
 
The game was closely contested throughout the matchup with the score tied on nine occasions through the 40-minute bout. Alverno had a 14-12 lead after the opening quarter, and was behind two points 30-28 at halftime. Alverno stormed back in the third quarter to cut the lead to a one-point lead in after 30 minutes making the score 44-43.
 
In the fourth period, Illinois Tech outscored the Inferno 15-14, but it was just shy of the lead as the score was tied at 51 before the Scarlet Hawks connected on the last-second free throw to take the two-point victory.
 
Alverno (3-21, 1-14 NACC) will close out the 2023-24 season traveling to Madison, Wisconsin for a NACC conference match-up against the Edgewood Eagles on Saturday, February 17. Tip-off is slated for 1 p.m. inside the Todd Wehr Edgedome.