On Wednesday, Saint Mary’s basketball faced off against Olivet and claimed a hard-fought 65-57 win.
Saint Mary’s started off the first quarter strong as senior guard Lauren Gumma tallied two points, senior forward Julia Schutz added six points and junior guard Nicole Connolly posted three to pull the Belles ahead 11-0. Five points from Olivet brought the score to 11-5, but a layup from Schutz and another from freshman guard Kate Passinault widened the gap to 15-5. Olivet went on another 5-0 run before Gumma recorded three points to make the score 18-10. Passinault would help the Belles finish the quarter ahead 20-12.
Starting the second quarter, sophomore guard Kate Restovich, sophomore guard Annie Restovich and Schutz all added three points to keep the Belles ahead 29-12. Olivet responded with six points of their own, but with a countering six from Schutz and two from freshman guard Ella Notaro the score became 37-18. Olivet finished the first half by going on a 8-0 run to bring the score to 37-26.
After the halftime break, Schutz started the third quarter with a layup, bringing the score to 39-26 before Olivet scored 5 points to make the score 39-31. A free throw from sophomore forward Avery Schiesser made the score 40-31, but two more points from Olivet kept it within seven. An additional two points from Schiesser and three from Annie Restovich kept the Belles ahead 45-33, but Olivet scored 4 points to finish the quarter with a score of 45-37.
In the fourth quarter, Olivet started out by scoring two points, but Passinault put two on the board before Kate Restovich added three points to make the score 50-39. Olivet responded with five points, but Kate Restovich tallied three points, Notaro added three and Schiesser made a free throw, bringing the score to 57-44. Olivet managed five more points for itself, but a layup from Notaro, a layup from Connolly and a free throw from Kate Restovich kept Saint Mary’s ahead 62-49. Five points from Olivet brought the score back to 62-54 before Passinault converted another free throw, bringing the score to 63-54. Olivet tightened the gap with three points to make the score 63-57, but Kate Restovich added two points to seal Saint Mary’s 65-57 win.
Schutz led the Belles on the court as she finished with 19 points and 7 rebounds. The Belles will face Alma on Feb. 15, starting at 1 p.m.
