Saint Mary's fell short in its efforts to take down No. 3 Hope College last night, as the Flying Dutch secured an 87-41 victory in Holland, Mich.
The Belles (5-12, 3-5 MIAA) anticipated a tough fight coming into the game and planned to stand strong in their defensive tactics, Saint Mary's head coach Jennifer Henley said.
However, the Belles struggled to shut down the potent offense of the Flying Dutch (15-1, 7-1). The victory was a return to its usual dominance for Hope, as it bounced back from its first loss of the season against No. 2 Calvin (13-1, 7-0).
Saint Mary's junior guard Shanlynn Bias led the team with 15 points, combining 5-of-10 shooting from the floor with five free throws. Freshman forward Eleni Shea scored eight points, while senior guard Kayla Wolter added six points and three steals for the Belles.
The depth of the veteran Hope bench showed against the young Saint Mary's squad.
Despite the loss, which shut down the Belles' two-game winning streak, the young team continues to power through the season without getting caught up with winning or losing, Henley said.
After the loss, Saint Mary's will now look to rebound when they take on Olivet (10-6, 6-2) on Saturday in Olivet, Mich.
Facing the Comets (10-6, 6-2), who secured a close 62-58 victory over Rochester on Wednesday night, should be another difficult matchup for the Belles, and will force the team to lock down their play on the defensive end of the floor.
"Our effort in preparing for games is more concentrated on the defensive end of things," Henley said.
Saint Mary's will play Olivet at 3 p.m. Saturday at the Cutler Event Center.
Contact Kit Loughran at kloughr1@nd.edu
