Coming off a 72-61 loss to Alma on Saturday, Saint Mary's commemorates senior night Wednesday, with the Belles playing host to Hope in their season finale.
In the Belles' matchup against Alma, a furious second-half comeback, which included a 15-0 Saint Mary's run, had the Belles believing they would snap their recent losing streak. But it was not in the cards, as Alma pulled away in the final minute.
Hope (22-1, 13-1 MIAA), currently sitting in second place in the MIAA, will present an even greater challenge for the young Belles (5-19, 3-12), with the Flying Dutch's only loss this season coming to No. 2 Calvin.
The Flying Dutch play with high energy and a suffocating defense, something Belles coach Jenn Henley said the team has been preparing for all week.
"We have been working on getting open against defensive pressure ... and making better decisions on offense to cut down our turnovers, both being big keys to the game," she said.
Turnovers especially could decide this game. In the teams' first matchup, an 87-41 Flying Dutch victory, Hope took advantage of the Belles' mistakes, scoring 31 points off 31 turnovers. By contrast, Saint Mary's was only able to force 16 Flying Dutch turnovers.
Despite the team's current eight-game losing streak, Henley said the team has improved much more than their record suggests. She said tomorrow's game will be a game of pride, particularly for the Belles' two seniors.
"This team has come a long way since Oct. 15," she said. "Tomorrow night is our last chance to put it all together and send out [seniors] Kayla Wolter and Annie Doyle on a good note as they finish their careers at Saint Mary's."
The Belles tip off against the Flying Dutch at 7:30 p.m. at the Angela Athletic Center.
Contact A.J. Godeaux at agodeaux@nd.edu
