Saint Mary's College

NOTRE DAME, Ind. - Saint Mary's College Basketball took down North Central College, 85-76, in a thrilling season opening matchup in front of a thunderous crowd. The Belles kick off the season 1-0 while the Cardinals start the year 0-1.
 
Saint Mary's got out to an early three point lead but not before North Central crawled back with an 11-0 run to get out to an eight point lead. The Belles bounced back to close out the first quarter with a 10-3 run to cut the deficit to just one, 18-17, heading into the break thanks to a late three point jumper from sophomore Ellie Pierson (Brighton, MI). Junior Ella Andree (Spring Lake, MI) led the team with six points in the quarter while junior Ella Notaro grabbed three rebounds.
 
The Belles got hot to open the second quarter as senior Kate Restovich (St. Louis, MO) added five quick points to take the lead back. Late in the quarter, the Belles got out to as much as an eight point lead thanks to back-to-back three pointers from freshman MacKenzi Duthie (Brighton, MI) and Restovich. North Central slipped right back into the game and retook the lead after the teams traded points and took a three point lead heading into the halftime break, 41-38. Restovich exploded for 11 points in the second quarter while knocking down two three pointers while Duthie finished with six at the break and joined Notaro with three rebounds.
 
The two teams would trade baskets back and forth while the Cardinals continued to hold the Belles at bay. Saint Mary's would go 9-13 at the free throw line in the quarter alone as both teams finished with 19 points each in the quarter, seeing the Cardinals lead 60-57 heading into the final ten minutes. Andree would dominate offensively for the Belles, setting a new career high as she added nine points in the quarter to join Restovich at 15 on the game. Junior Kate Passinault (Grand Rapids, MI) and sophomore Liv Fry (Fort Wayne, IN) both grabbed three rebounds in the quarter to lead the team with five on the game.
 
Saint Mary's used a strong 10-2 run to get going early in the fourth quarter to take a 67-65 lead. North Central bounced back to retake the lead 73-69 with under four minutes to play. The Belles would kick into a completely different gear in the final 3:13 as they dominated on both ends of the floor. Saint Mary's outscored North Central 16-3 across the final third of the fourth quarter and forced the Cardinals into multiple missed shots and a couple turnovers while the Belles did not miss a single jump shot during the run as they closed out the emphatic win inside a loud Angela Athletic & Wellness Complex, 85-76.
 
Restovich showed out for the Belles as she put up a game high 25 points on the night while shooting an impressive 4-5 from three point and 7-8 from the free throw line. Andree would add a career high 17 points on the game in just her third career start. Notaro would chip in 11 while Duthie added 10 in her first collegiate game.
 
Duthie and Fry would lead the team with seven rebounds each while Passinault added six and Notaro five. Fry also added six assists while Passinault dished out three. Passinault and Duthie would also snag three steals each of the Belles 12 total.
 
As a team, Saint Mary's outshot North Central 53.2%-44.8% while also doubling them up in three pointers, 50%-25% while knocking down eight to their six. The Belles also outrebounded the Cardinals handily, 35-24.
 
UP NEXT FOR THE BELLES
Saint Mary's is back in action at home on Thursday, November 12, as they host North Park University for a 7pm matchup.