NOTRE DAME, Ind. - The Saint Mary's basketball team built some early momentum against the No. 9 nationally-ranked visiting squad from Trine on Saturday, but the Thunder used strong second and third quarters to take the 85-36 final.

 

Bella Dugas came up with a blocked shot, Christina Shadid collected a steal, and Anne Goralczyk put the Belles on the scoreboard first with a jump shot just outside the lane in the opening minute-and-a-half of play. Another defensive stop led to a pair of free throws by Dugas as Saint Mary's held the 4-0 advantage 2:35 into the contest. Saint Mary's continued to get stops on the defensive end but were unable to extend their lead as the Belles clung to a 4-2 advantage more than four minutes in against the Thunder. Trine, however, used a three-pointer to take a lead at 5-4 as the Thunder did not trail again in the contest. Mary Kate Gareau powered her way to a layup with just over four minutes remaining on the clock to make it an 8-6 game in favor of the visiting side, and Claire Bartz again put the Belles within two with a jumper in the paint with 3:07 on the clock for a 10-8 score. Trine closed out the final 2:50 of the quarter with an 8-0 run to hold an 18-8 lead through ten minutes of competition.

 

The Thunder carried that scoring spurt over into the second period with the opening five points to extend the lead to 23-8. Jasmyne Townsend stepped into a good jumper from mid-range as the Belles made it 23-10 with more than seven minutes on the clock. The next nine points of the game were put on the scoreboard by Trine as the Thunder pushed their advantage to 32-10 with 4:55 remaining in the half. Maddie Rzepka got a layup to drop with more than three minutes to go on the clock before Elle Deardorff cut through the defense for a layup of her own, but the Thunder continued to find an answer offensively as Trine held a 40-15 lead at the break.

 

Trine scored on six-consecutive possessions early in the third quarter, and the Thunder shot a blistering 73.3 percent from the floor in the quarter. The Belles were unable to counter with that same rate of offensive efficiency, and Trine held a sizable lead throughout the remainder of the quarter and the game in the 85-36 final.

 

Jasmyne Townsend led the Belles with six points. Maddie Rzepka, Elle Deardorff, and Claire Bartz each chipped in five points apiece. Bartz and Anne Goraclzyk paced Saint Mary's with four rebounds each, and Goralczyk and Julia Schutz each tallied four points.

 

The Belles (3-12, 2-4 MIAA) are set to host Hope on Wednesday evening at Angela Athletic & Wellness Complex starting at 7:00 p.m.