Belles senior guard Ariana Paul became the 11th player in program history to score 1,000 points Saturday, but her double-double was not enough to keep the Belles from falling at Olivet, 83-78.
The Comets (14-11, 9-7 MIAA) went on an early run to take a 16-8 lead in the first nine minutes of the contest and led the rest of the way. The Belles (3-22, 1-15) responded by going on a 6-2 run to cut the Comets lead to just four points, but the Comets soon extended their lead to 13 points after going on a 11-2 run. Before halftime though, Saint Mary's was able to cut the deficit to eight and entered halftime down 36-28.
The Comets reasserted their lead at the start of the second half and on the heels of a 17-2 run, stretched their lead to a 21-point margin. In the midst of a 12-2 Belles run, Paul hit a shot to record her 1,000th career point.
Then, several Belles players, including sophomore guard Timoney Moyer, junior forward Kristina Knapke and junior guard Maddie Kohler, led the Belles on an 11-6 scoring run over the next three minutes to pull Saint Mary’s within five points.
Olivet later stretched its lead to 73-61, but again Saint Mary’s responded, cutting the Comets lead to single-digits with a 10-5 run. The Belles could not get the game down to a one-possession affair, however, as the closest they got to Olivet was four points in the game's final seconds.
The Belles shot 42 percent from the field and hit 3-of-9 3-point attempts.
Paul scored 21 in her final collegiate game and tacked on 11 rebounds, recording a double-double to close her career. Kohler recorded 13 points, four assists, and four rebounds while Moyer and Knapke both scored 12.
As only the top four teams in the conference qualify for the MIAA conference tournament, the Belles ended their season on an 18-game losing streak.
