Saint Mary’s came up short against Albion on Wednesday night at home, falling 62-54 and pushing its current losing streak to eight games.
The Belles (1-16, 1-7 MIAA) started the game strong, going on a 7-0 run and ultimately finishing the quarter only trailing by one, 16-15.
The second quarter was a similarly tight battle, with seven ties over the course of the period, and the teams entered the break tied at 30.
The Belles struggled offensively in the third quarter, leading to a 14-0 run by Albion (6-10, 3-5) that broke the game open and put the Britons in front, 51-36.
Saint Mary’s did not go away quietly, however, and began the fourth quarter on a 12-0 charge, scoring on six of its first seven possessions.
Eventually though, foul trouble began to plague the Belles, and the Britons did not miss many from the line. On the night, Albion went 16-for-22 from the charity stripe, while the Belles only had four shots from the free throw line, all of which they made.
In the end, it was the rough third quarter that ended up being the difference for Saint Mary's, senior forward and captain Krista Knapke said.
“I think ... we fought hard the whole game but struggled in the third quarter,” Knapke said. “We gave up some offensive boards and got a few foul calls that hurt our momentum.”
Sophomore forward Gabby Diamond (12 points) and senior forward and team captain Eleni Shea (10) both put up double-digit points for the Belles, and Knapke set up several buckets with six assists on the night.
The Belles play two more home games over the next week, facing off against Olivet on Saturday and Calvin on Wednesday.
“Going into the game against Olivet this weekend we will work hard to control the boards the whole game and put all four quarters together to get a win,” Knapke said.
The Belles play Olivet at 3 p.m. on Saturday at Angela Athletic Facility.
