The only Saint Mary’s team that played over break was the basketball team, going 1-3 as it faced Elmhurst, Trine, Kalamazoo and Alma.
Elmhurst
In the first game over break the Elmhurst Blue Jays handed the Belles a 88-64 loss.
Elmhurst quickly pulled ahead in the first quarter, as it led 14-5 midway through the quarter, but a combined effort from the Belles brought the score to 14-11. While the two teams traded points back and forth, Elmhurst added the final two points and held the 16-11 lead.
The second quarter started strong for the Belles, as freshman guard Ella Notaro added a three-point shot that brought the score to 16-14, but the Blue Jays quickly added four more points to take a 20-14 lead. The Blue Jays proved their offense key, finishing with a 45-31 lead heading into halftime.
The third quarter proved no different, as the Blue Jays scored six points to bring the score to 51-31. Sophomore guard Kate Restovich added two free throws for the Belles to bring the score to 51-33, but Elmhurst responded, adding a three-point shot to make the score 54-33. After trading points, Elmhurst finished on top with a score of 65-47.
Both teams battled in the fourth quarter, but Elmhurst quickly extended its lead to 75-47. Restovich put up two free throws alongside Notaro, who added a jump shot to make the score 75-51. Four points from the Blue Jays extended their 79-51 lead, but a jump shot and two free throws from Restovich brought the score to 79-55. Three points from Elmhurst brought the score to 82-55, but freshman guard Kate Passinault added five points for the Belles to make the score 82-60. Elmhurst ended on top, winning 88-64.
Restovich was key on offense for the Belles, finishing the night with a total of 17 points.
Trine
In their second game, the Belles were defeated 78-44 by Trine.
Trine took a quick 3-0 lead starting the first quarter, but the Belles fought back as Restovich added two free throws for the Belles, making the score 3-2. After a six-point run from Trine, Restovich added on a layup to close the score to 9-4, but a three-point shot from Trine made the score 12-4. After going back and forth, a 9-6 run from Trine kept it on top as it finished the first quarter up 21-10.
The second quarter opened with a layup from Trine, but junior guard Nicole Connolly responded with a layup, Restovich added a free throw and senior forward Julia Schutz added a layup to make the score 23-15. As the two teams traded points throughout the remainder of the quarter, Trine finished with a 41-24 lead.
The third quarter continued to look in favor of Trine, as it started with a 7-4 run to bring the score to 48-28. Passinault added on a layup to bring the score to 48-30, but a layup from Trine brought the score to 50-30. Then, after going back and forth, Notaro put in two free throws to bring the score to 50-32. After an 8-2 run from Trine, it held the 58-34 lead.
Trine continued to dominate in the fourth quarter going on a 7-3 run to bring the score to 65-37. The two teams continued to go back and forth, and Trine added on two free throws for itself, but freshman guard Kathleen Martin added on a free throw that brought the score to 67-38. Trine responded with a layup, but senior guard Lauren Gumma added a layup, bringing the score to 69-40. Trine stayed in front, finishing the game with a 78-44 win.
Schutz led the Belles on the court, finishing with a total of 14 points on the night.
Kalamazoo
The third game over break was against Kalamazoo, where the Belles gained their sole 65-54 win.
Passinault added the first four points of the game with two layups, and Schutz added a layup to make the score 6-0. Kalamazoo then added four layups to take the 8-6 lead, but a layup from Passinault tied up the score again. The teams went back and forth battling for the lead, but Kalamazoo held a 13-10 lead at the end of the quarter.
The second quarter looked similar, as Kalamazoo added on a layup and a free throw to hold a 16-10 lead, but a jump shot from Schutz made the score 16-12. A jump shot from Kalamazoo kept it ahead 18-12, but Gumma put in a three-point shot to make the score 18-15. The two teams continued to trade points, and Restovich scored the final points to pull the Belles ahead 31-23.
Kalamazoo scored the first four points of the third quarter to make the score 31-27, but the Belles answered as Schutz put in two free throws that made the lead 33-27. After a layup from Kalamazoo, Connolly added a three-point shot and Schutz contributed a free throw to bring the score to 37-29. The two teams continued to trade points and exchanged leads, but at the end of the quarter, the Belles held the 46-43 lead.
Restovich added the first two points of the fourth quarter, followed by a free throw from Schutz and a layup from Notaro bringing the score to 51-43. After three points scored by Kalamazoo, Connolly, Restovich and Notaro added on six more points for the Belles, making the score 57-46. The two teams battled until the end for points, but the Belles came out on top with a 65-54 win.
Alma
The final game over winter break was against the Alma Scots, where the Belles took the 75-61 loss.
Alma started out strong, scoring the first five points, but the Belles were quick to respond as Passinault added a layup to make the score 5-2. Alma responded with five points of its own, but a jump shot from Schutz and a layup from Notaro brought the score to 10-6. Alma added two more points but Restovich added a three-point shot to make the score 12-9. As the two teams continued to score, Alma finished with a close, 20-19 lead at the end of the quarter.
Alma started off the second quarter strong, scoring the first 11 points of the quarter, but Restovich stopped its offense by putting in two free throws, and Gumma added a layup to bring the score to 31-23. Alma added seven more points for themselves before Gumma added three points to bring the score to 38-26. Alma finished the second quarter holding a 41-26 lead.
Connolly added the first two points of the third quarter, but a quick two points from Alma made the score 43-28. Notaro added a jump shot, and Schutz added a free throw to bring the score to 43-32. However, after a shooting foul, Alma was able to add two more points, making the score 45-32. As the teams went back and forth looking for points, the Scots finished with a 54-37 lead.
The fourth quarter went in favor of Alma as it scored the first two points. After a few minutes, Passinault responded with two points, but Alma quickly followed with a three-point shot that made the score 59-39. The two teams then battled back and forth for points as Alma put in two more, and Saint Mary’s added seven to bring the score to 61-46. A free throw from Notaro made the score 61-47, but Alma quickly added four more points of its own to bring the score to 65-48. Ultimately, Alma rounded out the fourth quarter on top, winning the game 75-61.
