MILWAUKEE -- Alverno College lost to the University of Wisconsin-Platteville 68-63 tonight at Reiman Gymnasium in Milwaukee in nonconference action.
The Inferno (1-3) trailed early in the game, down by as many as 15 in the first half. Alverno committed 16 first-half turnovers and the visiting Pioneers (1-3) grabbed 10 offensive rebounds in the period for the 33-23 halftime advantage.
Things got worse for the Inferno, as Platteville opened the second period with a 17-6 run to extend the lead to a game-high 21 at 50-29 with 12:28 remaining.
"We're searching for our group identity," Alverno head coach Brad Duckworth said. "When things aren't going well, I think we look around a little bit for who is going to get us started or we all try to get us started and we get a little too much individual."
The Inferno finally got things going and went on a run of their own as senior Shataya McComb (Kingston, N.Y.) and junior Alicia Kontowski (South Milwaukee, Wis.) would combine for 11 points on a 16-1 run over the next 4:30, cutting the deficit to 51-45.
Kontowski would make her third 3-pointer of the game with 1:24 to play, making it a three-point game, 54-51, as the Inferno still trailed. After a missed Pioneer jumper on the next possession the Inferno took a timeout with just under a minute left in the game.
After the timeout, Kontowski would miss a 3-point attempt, but McComb would come down with the offensive rebound and score on the put back as the Inferno then trailed by only one.
The Pioneers' Ashley Wolf would then nail a jumper for two of her 12 points with 10 seconds left, extending the lead back to three.
Alverno was not able to get off a game-tying shot attempt, as one last turnover would lead to a final layup by the Pioneers at the buzzer for the 68-63 final score.
"When we're playing well, we trust each other, we find our identities and we just play," said Duckworth. "I think we did that for the last 10 minutes of the game tonight."
McComb led the Inferno with team-highs of 20 points and 14 rebounds. Kontowski added 17 points and nine rebounds, and Gabby Allen (Milwaukee, Wis./Bay View) chipped in 11 points.
Sophomore Kelsey Kochanowski (Oak Creek, Wis.) added seven points and a team-high five assists.
Platteville's Ashley Callahan (Dubuque, Iowa) led all scorers with 21 points, while teammate Ashley Henry (Lancaster, Wis.) scored 19 to go along with her game-high 18 rebounds.
The Inferno will look to snap their two-game skid as they open up Northern Athletics Conference play on Saturday at Lakeland College. Game time is set for 2 p.m. in Plymouth, Wis.