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Friday, March 29, 2024
The Observer

Belles ready to battle Anderson Thursday

After losing consecutive double-digit leads in the past week, the Belles look to rebound Thursday night against a non-conference opponent in Anderson University.However, the Belles won't be the only ones with chips on their shoulders in the contest.Although Saint Mary's comes into the game on the heels of two tough losses, the Ravens come in on a worse skid - Anderson will enter the Angela Athletic Center with a six-game losing streak to start the season.For the struggling Ravens, guards Heather Terflinger and Emily Bailey each average over 10 points a contest and create the majority of offensive opportunities for the team. Terflinger is also shooting a team-high 60-percent from long distance. To counter this, Saint Mary's must bring its top defense, especially the pressure that has forced over 60 steals in just seven games. The Belles have been quite effective to this end. In fact, after her two steals in the Saturday loss to Olivet, Katie Boyce became the fourth Belle to break double-digit steals on the season.In the key, Stacie Jennings has grabbed just under eight rebounds a game, including three per night on the offensive board.Battling Jennings on the inside will be Saint Mary's forward Emily Creachbaum, who enters the game red hot. She has scored in double-digits in each of the last two games and five out of the last six. Creachbaum also leads the team in rebounds per game.However, some Belles are in need of a turnaround against Anderson. Junior Bridget Boyce will look to rebound from a tough performance against Olivet on Saturday. Her six-point effort was a season-low for Boyce, and she will need to approach her 16.8-point average for the Belles to have an effective offensive performance.This is the only meeting of the teams this year, and they did not play last year.The Belles' schedule in the next three weeks includes Tri-State University at home Saturday, The Saint Xavier Tournament from Dec. 27 -29, hosting Calvin College on Jan. 6 and at Hope on Jan. 8.Thursday's tip-off is at 7:00 p.m.