Saint Mary's came up just short Saturday night, losing a closely contested game to Hope 77-73.
Senior guard Patsy Mahoney had a chance to tie the game late, but her 25-foot 3-point attempt hit off the back of the rim and the Belles came up short.
Saint Mary's (9-11, 5-6 MIAA) started the game off strong, using an 11-0 run to open up a nine-point lead in the first half, culminating with a layup by senior forward Kelley Murphy. The Belles took their largest lead of the game with 1:56 remaining in the first half on a put-back attempt by Murphy, giving the home team a 36-26 advantage.
The second half was a different story, as Hope started the half on a 21-1 scoring run as the Flying Dutch opened up an 11 point lead, scoring on nine straight possessions.
Hope stretched its lead to 15, its largest lead of the game, on a three-point shot with 10:37 left in the contest.
The Belles battled back hard, using an 11-3 run to bring the game within six points with just over three minutes left in the contest.
Senior guard Maggie Ronan hit a jump shot to cut the lead to five with 1:34 left on the clock.
After a Hope bucket, Murphy cut the lead to 76-73 with baskets on consecutive trips down the floor with 40 seconds remaining.
The Belles came up with a defensive stop on Hope's next possession, leading to Mahoney's game tying attempt with less than 15 seconds remaining.
Saint Mary's was led in scoring by Murphy, who finished with 20 points; Ronan, who had 16 points; and Mahoney, who added 13 points and eight assists.
Saint Mary's next takes the court against Albion on Wednesday at 6 pm.
Contact Nick Boyle at nboyle1@nd.edu
