GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The Saint Mary's basketball team fell by a 79-33 score at Calvin on Saturday afternoon.
The Belles got a stop at one and got on the scoreboard at the other end to begin the game as
Athena Samson hit a layup on the first Saint Mary's possession. Samson then converted both ends of a trip to the charity stripe for an early 4-2 lead, and Samson kept the next possession alive with an offensive board before hitting a shot from outside the lane to make it 6-2. Calvin pulled even with back-to-back buckets before claiming an 8-6 lead with under six minutes remaining. The Belles had a couple of chances roll off the rim while the Knights hit shots on their next two possessions for a 12-6 advantage as Saint Mary's called a timeout with 4:29 on the clock.
Lauren Gumma got the Belles back on track with a three-pointer from the corner off of a kick-out pass by
Julia Schutz to cut the deficit to three at 12-9. The Knights, however, responded with back-to-back buckets to gain a 16-9 advantage.
Kate Restovich connected on a free throw with just over a minute to play, but Calvin gained an 18-10 lead and added two late free throws for a 20-10 lead at the end of one quarter.
Athena Samson hit a shot just before the expiration of the shot clock to open the scoring in the second quarter. Two possessions later,
Elle Deardorff drained a three-pointer to make it a 22-15 score. Saint Mary's used a defensive stop, and
Nicole Connolly used a strong step-through move to hit a shot in the paint to make it a five-point game. The Knights responded with a layup before using another good bucket to extend their lead back to nine. A fastbreak bucket by Calvin made it a 28-17 game with just under six minutes remaining on the clock, and a pair of free throws by the Knights moments later put Calvin ahead 30-17. The two sides hit a scoreless stretch of more than four minutes before the Knights called a timeout with 1:32 on the clock. The combined scoring drought continued for the next minute of play before a Calvin layup gave the Knights a 32-17 lead.
Avery Schiesser connected on a free throw with a second to go before the half to make it a 32-18 game at the break.
Calvin began the third quarter by putting six points on the scoreboard for a 38-18 lead.
Annie Restovich drew a foul on a strong drive to the bucket and converted both free throws to get the Belles on the scoreboard. The Knights posted eight straight points for a 46-20 advantage as the Belles called a timeout with 5:13 on the clock.
Annie Restovich sunk a three-pointer, and
Julia Schutz added a pair of free throws a minute later to make it a 48-25 game with 3:23 to go in the third. The Belles got a defensive stop, and
Kate Restovich hit the tough jumper while being fouled to push the score to 48-27. After the Knights posted back-to-back buckets, Restovich put a free throw on the scoreboard to make it 52-28 with over a minute to go in the period. Calvin, however, added four late points in the quarter to hold a 56-28 lead going into the fourth.
Elle Deardorff banked in a pull-up jumper from the right elbow, but the Knights were able to score on their first two possessions to build a 60-30 lead. Deardorff added a step-back three-pointer but the Belles ultimately fell in the 79-33 final.
The Belles (5-13, 2-7 MIAA) have a break from competition on Wednesday and return to play when they host Trine on Saturday, January 27 at 1:00 p.m.
