Trailing by as many as nine points in the first half, the Dominican University women's basketball team took a 43-42 lead on a rebound and put-back by Rhetta Bates (Woodstock, Ill.) with 2:16 to play in the third period.  After a free throw by Danielle McGruder (Plano, Texas) added to the Stars' lead, Dominican went through a five and a half minute scoreless drought while the visiting Alverno College Inferno went on a 12-point run en route to a 68-56 win at the Igini Sports Forum on Tuesday night.
 
"Our kids fought back every time Alverno started to pull away," said the Stars' fourth-year head coach Gabby Johnson following the loss. "We have to limit our own mistakes and that will give use the chance to close out a few wins."
 
Allie Tapanes (Winfield, Ill.) led the way offensively for Dominican, dropping in a team-high 14 points on 5-for-17 shooting from the field.  The senior connected on four of her six attempts from three-point distance and is now tied for the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) lead with 21 three pointers on the season.
 
For the Stars, McGruder scored 13 points off the bench while Jasmyn Hardin (Cincinnati, Ohio) added 12 points on 5-for-10 shooting but was hampered with foul trouble, limited to just 20 minutes before fouling out with 4:10 remaining in the fourth period.
 
Alverno was led by Gabby Hood's game-high 15 points.  The guard shot 6-for-9 from the field grabbed four rebounds and tallied four steals in 34 minutes.  Brooke McBain added 14 points while Mollie Mikyska chipped in with ten.
 
Alverno managed to shoot 36-percent from the field, 24-for-65, while Dominican shot 31-percent, 19-for-60.
 
The loss drops the Stars to 1-7 overall and 1-3 in the NACC.  Dominican will travel to Milwaukee on Saturday, taking on the MSOE Raiders at 4:15 p.m. at MSOE's Kern Center.