Mount Mary Hoops celebrates New Year with four-game slate in This Week in Blue Angel Athletics for January 3-9, 2022.

Four Games Ring in New Year for MMU Cagers

The Mount Mary University basketball team celebrates the New Year with a tough four-game slate, including a 1,300-plus mile road trip to cap off the week. The Blue Angels will host North Central University (Minn.) on Tuesday before traveling to Martin Luther College (Minn.) Thursday, Finlandia University (Mich.) Saturday, and Northland College Sunday.

Mount Mary (0-12 overall) hopes the New Year brings some new beginnings as the Blue Angels rounded out 2021 with a 93-41 loss at North Park University on New Year's Eve. Having reached the halfway point of the schedule, MMU hopes to find its first win of the season in 2022.

The sophomore tandem of Talesa Campbell (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./Boyd Anderson) and Brianna Duke (Milwaukee, Wis./Rufus King) have led Mount Mary much of the season, and both put forth nearly identical stat lines of 16 points … in Friday's defeat at NPU. Campbell's 15.0 points per game rank fourth in the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference, adding 2.4 assists and 2.3 steals per game. Duke leads MMU with 7.4 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 3.1 steals while chipping in 12.0 points per contest.

North Central (10-0 overall) has not only raced out to an undefeated season through its first 10 games, it has done so in emphatic fashion—outscoring teams 91-50 on average. The Rams handled Mount Mary earlier this season, 104-49—its first of four games hitting the century mark thus far. Unsurprisingly, with lots of points come lots of individual scorers as five Rams average double-digit scoring. NCU is led by sophomore Kadija Conteh's (London, UK/City of London Academy) 17.2 points per game, with Emily DeGiorgio (Ironwood, Mich./Ironwood) adding 15.2 points and a team-high 6.7 rebounds per contest.  

Martin Luther's (2-8 overall) last contest was Sunday, December 19—a 69-50 loss to Finlandia at Wisconsin Dells' JustaGame Fieldhouse. The Knights tipped off the year with a 64-51 win against Macalester, then eked out its second season win via a 55-51 decision at Northland in early December UMAC play. MLC is led by sophomore Jordyn Heckendorf (Kewaskum, Wis./Kettle Moraine Lutheran) and junior Erika Gosch (Rapid City, S.D./Great Plains Lutheran), who average 12 and 10 points, respectively.

Finlandia (5-7 overall) had its three-game win streak snapped by Division III and fellow Upper Peninsula foe Northern Michigan University Sunday, 70-42. Prior to the holiday break, the Lions knocked off the aforementioned Knights of MLC, 69-50, before picking up a huge 73-67 win at UW-Stout on Dec. 13. The senior-laden team is led by Bailey Froberg (L'Anse, Mich./L'Anse) and Katie Lundeen's (Maple, Wis./Northwestern) 14.2 points and 11.5 points per game, respectively. Senior Carsyn Osterman (Baraga, Mich./Baraga) adds a team-best six rebounds per contest.

Northland (1-6 overall) will play three games this week, hosting Finlandia Tuesday, UW-Superior for a UMAC showdown Saturday, then host MMU Sunday afternoon. The Lumberjills' lone victory of the season came back on Nov. 13—a 66-59 win over Maranatha Baptist. Junior Miranda Wagner (Rawlins, Wyo./Rawlins) leads Northland with 14.1 points per game, with Hardin-Simmons University transfer and sophomore Triniti Anderson (El Paso, Tex./Pebble Hills) adding an even 10 points per contest.

On the Calendar

Tuesday, January 4

6:00 p.m. – Basketball v. North Central (Bloechl Center – Milwaukee, Wis.)

Thursday, January 6

6:00 p.m. – Basketball at Martin Luther (LSC Gymnasium – New Ulm, Minn.)

Saturday, January 8

1:00 p.m. – Basketball at Finlandia (Paavo Nurmi Center – Hancock, Mich.)

Sunday, January 9

1:00 p.m. – Basketball at Northland (Kendrigan Center – Ashland, Wis.)