NAPERVILLE, Ill. - Saint Mary's College Basketball fell to North Central College, 76-60, in the 2025-26 season opener on Friday night. The Belles fall to 0-1 while the Cardinals improve to 1-0 to open the season.

Saint Mary's got out to a strong lead early in the game, leading 12-5 midway through the first quarter. North Central battled back and chased the Belles to tie the ballgame before trading points back and forth throughout the remainder of the first 10 minutes. The Cardinals ended the quarter with a slim 20-18 lead after hitting a go ahead layup with four seconds remaining and knocking down a free throw. Junior Annie Restovich (St. Louis, MO) and sophomore Ella Notaro (Crystal Lake, IL) led the team with six points each. Restovich nailed two of her three three-point attempts while Notaro drained all four of her free throws attempts.

North Central stayed hot to open the second quarter, extending their lead to 31-18 before Saint Mary's got back on the board. The Belles cut the deficit down to eight  but the Cardinals continued to control the ball, heading into halftime with a 39-28 lead. Notaro moved up to seven points to lead the team after the first 10 minutes while sophomore Kate Passinault (Grand Rapids, MI) led with four rebounds. 

The Belles outscored the Cardinals 20-17 in the third quarter to cut the deficit to single digits, North Central leading 56-48 heading into the final quarter. Passinault excelled in the quarter, jumping up to 11 points on the game, leading the Belles. She also led the team with six rebounds in the game. Junior Kate Restovich (St. Louis, MO) and Annie Restovich headed into the final quarter with nine points each.

North Central controlled the fourth quarter, outscoring Saint Mary's 20-12, taking home a 76-60 win.

Kate Restovich led the team with 12 points while Passinault added 11. Annie Restovich and Notaro both added nine. Passinault led the team with eight rebounds while Notaro, senior Nicole Connolly (Mokena, IL), and sophomore Ella Andree (Spring Lake, MI) added four each. Freshman Liv Fry (Fort Wayne, IN) led the Belles with six assists.

The Belles shot 37% from the field (20-54) while shooting 37.5% from three-point (9-24) and 68.8% from the free throw line (11-16). Passinault led the team, going 5-8 from the field while Annie Restovich led from three-point, going 3-5. Notarto led the Belles at the free-throw line, knocking down five of six attempts.

UP NEXT FOR THE BELLES

Saint Mary's returns to the Angela Athletic & Wellness complex for their home opener on Friday, November 14 as they host Concordia University Chicago at 7:30pm in the second game of The Inn at Saint Mary's Classic. The Belles will then take on Hiram College on Saturday, November 15, at 3pm. Albion College will also compete in the Classic, playing Hiram on Friday at 5pm and Concordia Chicago at 1pm on Saturday.