Saint Mary's started its four-game road trip the right way Wednesday night, cruising to a 81-63 road victory over winless Kalamazoo.
Senior forward Erin Newsom and freshman guard Patsy Mahoney each scored 14 points to help the Belles (9-7, 7-1 MIAA) stay atop the conference standings.
The Belles jumped out to a 17-4 lead after just five minutes and never trailed.
The Hornets were able to cut the lead to eight with six minutes to play in the first half, but the Belles responded with a 15-8 run to take a 44-29 halftime lead.
In the second half, the Belles put the game away early, leading by 23 with 14 minutes to play in the contest. The Hornets never cut the gap closer than 18 points for the rest of the contest.
Offense wasn't a problem for the Belles with four players scoring in double figures.
Liz Wade also added seven assists and recorded six steals to help out defensively.
The Hornets' Andrea Bedway led all scorers with 22 points.
The Belles followed through on head coach Jenn Henley's promise to focus on defense, holding the Hornets to shoot less than 40 percent from the field. The Belles also forced 36 turnovers in the game.
The Belles play their second game of their road trip Saturday at Trine. Saint Mary's' next home contest is Feb. 4 against Olivet.
***For more on Notre Dame and Saint Mary's athletics, check out The Observer's sports blog, The Casual Observer, at observersportsblog.wordpress.com.
