After falling to Adrian College 66-58 Wednesday night, Saint Mary's will try to rebound and break its three-loss skid during Saturday's game against Olivet College. The Belles (2-4, 0-1 MIAA) opened up their MIAA conference schedule with an eight-point loss to the Bulldogs (1-3, 1-0). Saint Mary's found itself trailing by 16 points with 15 minutes remaining in the game. Belles head coach Jennifer Henley said she was proud of her team's performance, but also said they need to get better starts in order to prevent playing from behind.
"My team had a great second half against Adrian," Henley said. "They never quit during the game despite being down 16. We need to do a better job with our decision-making on the offensive end to start the first half."
Saint Mary's junior guard Shanlynn Bias lead the way for the Belles in the losing effort, scoring a career-high 20 points, but it was not enough in the second half to close the large deficit.
The Belles now turn their attention to an experienced Olivet team coming off a win over Trine College in its MIAA opener. Junior guard Kelsey Campbell led Olivet (3-1, 1-0) with 22 points in the win and is averaging double-digits this season. According to Henley, the Belles will look to contain the Comet's shooters, as well as their high-powered offense in the post.
"Olivet is a veteran team who scores a lot points in the paint," Henley said. "They will look to spread the floor and take you off the drive."
Henley continued to stress the importance of defense in the game on Saturday, as the Belles will need to keep the game close and give themselves a chance in the second half. "They have a few kids that can knock down the '3,' so we need to be sure we find their shooters on a kick out," Henley said.
Saint Mary's will host Olivet on Saturday, with action beginning at 3 p.m. in the Angela Athletic Facility.
Contact Brendan Bell at bbell2@nd.edu