Saint Mary’s was defeated in its opening game of the season, dropping the match with North Park, 84-38.
The Belles kept the game close for most of the first quarter, and were down only 9-7 after six minutes of play. However, late in the quarter, the Vikings began to pull ahead and took a 20-9 lead heading into the break.
The Vikings continued to pull away from the Belles early in the second quarter, extending their lead to 28-9 before free-throw shooting helped the Vikings to a 45-19 halftime lead.
The Vikings almost doubled the lead before the end of the third quarter, after a 23-0 run put the Belles in an even deeper hole. The first Belles points of the quarter came with just over a minute remaining, as the Vikings led by 49 points, 72-23, as the quarter ended.
Although they were far behind at the time, the Belles played a much more competitive final quarter, outscoring the Vikings 15-12 in the period to end the game at 84-38.
Freshman guard Ally Steve led the Belles in scoring with nine points in addition to her two blocks, while freshman forward Megan Will scored eight points on 4-of-8 shooting. Freshmen players totaled 21 of the Belles’ 38 points by the end of the game. Sophomore guard Erin Maloney added 4 assists, while junior forward Gabby Diamond recorded four steals. The Belles kept the rebounding count close, being out-rebounded 44-41 in the end, and recorded 18 offensive boards.
This weekend, the Belles will travel to North Manchester for the Manchester Tournament. The Belles will face Manchester on Friday at 7 p.m., and will then face Oglethorpe on Saturday at 1 p.m..
