DEFIANCE, Ohio - The Saint Mary's basketball team came up on the short end of a 65-53 final at Defiance on Saturday afternoon.

 

After falling behind 9-2 in the first quarter, the Belles came storming back with a 14-2 run over the next five minutes of play. Maddie Rzepka, Claire Bartz, Nikki Murphy, and Caitlin Bonnesen all found success in the paint with layups for Saint Mary's to make it a one-point game. Devan Buda hit a pull-up three-pointer to put the Belles ahead 13-11, and Elle Deardorff made it a 16-11 lead for the Belles with a three-pointer of her own. A late Defiance bucket pushed the score to 16-13 through the end of the first period.

 

The Yellow Jackets edged within a point early in the second quarter and tied the game at 19-19 midway through the period, but a good jumper by Claire Bartz put the Belles up 21-19 with 4:39 on the clock. Christina Shadid and Murphy each got a bucket, and Shadid used a layup to extend the lead to 27-21 with 2:52 remaining before the break. Bella Dugas drained a three-pointer and tallied a late free throw as Saint Mary's carried a 33-25 lead into halftime.

 

A scoring spurt by Defiance saw the Yellow Jackets take a 37-35 advantage more than six minutes into the third quarter, but Claire Bartz gave the lead right back to the Belles with a three-pointer. Defiance responded with the next four points for a 41-38 lead. Anne Goralczyk sunk a jump shot, and Christina Shadid hit a three-pointer of her own on the Belles' last possession of the quarter as Saint Mary's held a 43-41 advantage.

 

Defiance opened the fourth quarter on an 11-0 run to take a 52-43 lead 4:22 into the period. Bartz hit a much-needed bucket to make it a seven-point game, but a three-pointer and a three-point play pushed the Yellow Jackets' advantage to 58-45 with 4:16 to play. The Belles continued to battle as they looked for their second come-back victory in as many games. Maddie Rzepka connected from distance for a three-pointer, Christina Shadid found a layup, and Rzepka converted a three-point play to make it a five-point game at 58-53 with 2:49 to go. Despite a handful of good scoring chances, the Belles were unable to overcome the deficit down the stretch as Defiance claimed the 65-53 decision.

 

The host Yellow Jackets out-scored the Belles 24-10 over the final ten minutes of play. Defiance converted a 48-24 rebounding edge against Saint Mary's into a 22-0 scoring margin in second-chance points.

 

Maddie Rzepka led the Belles with 10 points while Claire Bartz and Christina Shadid each chipped in nine points. Bartz and Caitlin Bonnesen paced Saint Mary's with five rebounds apiece. Anne Goralczyk and Elle Deardorff added six points each.

 

The Belles (1-4) host their home opener on Tuesday, November 23 against Anderson at 7:00 p.m.