NOTRE DAME, Ind. - The Saint Mary's basketball team fell by a 78-63 margin against Alma on Senior Day.

 

The Belles got on the scoreboard right away as Elle Deardorff drained a three-pointer at the top of the key on the opening possession to spark the Senior Day crowd. The Scots countered with eight consecutive points to claim an 8-3 lead. Athena Samson connected on a free throw before adding a layup 30 seconds later. Elle Deardorff added a jump shot, and Kate Restovich hit a pull-up jumper to edge Saint Mary's within three at 13-10 with six minutes still on the clock. After a defensive stop, Samson drilled a hook shot to make it a one-point game at 13-12. The Scots used a layup to make it a 15-12 game. Alma tried to push the tempo in transition, but Mary Kate Gareau rejected a layup on the defensive end for the Belles. Deardorff then pushed the ball back the other way and hit a layup for a 15-14 score as the Scots called a timeout. Alma pushed their lead back to six a minute later. Saint Mary's again had the answer Restovich had an offensive board and put-back layup, Avery Schiesser sunk a pair of confident free throws, and Restovich hit a driving layup to knot the game at 20-20 with 1:26 on the clock. A late three-pointer by Alma, however, gave the Scots a 23-20 lead through the first quarter of play.

 

Alma opened the second quarter with two free throws. The Belles came right back with a layup by Athena Samson and a three-pointer by Elle Deardorff to tie it up at 25-25. The back-and-forth flow of the game continued with the Scots gaining a 30-25 lead three minutes into the period. Mary Kate Gareau had the response with a tough move in the paint and layup to make it a one-possession game with six minutes still to play in the quarter. Despite getting good shots over the next three minutes of action, the ball did not take a friendly home bounce for the Belles as Alma extended their lead to 37-27. Undeterred, the Belles broke up the scoreless drought with a pair of free throws by Kate Restovich. Lauren Gumma capitalized on a steal by Restovich with a fastbreak layup, and Samson hit a jumper on the next possession with Restovich tallying assists on both buckets as Saint Mary's pulled within 37-33 with a minute left before halftime. The Scots got a bucket on their next possession and hit a late free throw to carry a 40-33 lead into the halftime break.

 

The Scots made it a nine-point game to start the third. The Belles again had an answer. Nicole Connolly drained a jumper, and Kate Restovich swiped a steal and hit the layup in transition to make it a 42-37 game. Alma went ahead by eight, and Saint Mary's came back with a jumper and a three-pointer by Restovich to pull within three at 45-42 with five minutes on the clock. The Scots countered with five points for a 50-42 lead before Connolly connected on a pull up shot in the paint. Back-to-back Alma shots made it a 54-44 game, but Elle Deardorff connected on both ends of a trip to the charity stripe with a minute to go in the period. The Scots, however, had the last made shot of the quarter for a 56-46 advantage going into the fourth.

 

Athena Samson pulled down an offensive rebound in the opening minute of the fourth to reach 270 boards for the season and set a new program record for rebounds in a single season. That offensive rebound led to a put-back bucket to make it an eight-point game. Samson added another second-chance bucket on the next possession to make it 59-50 with more than eight minutes to play. Alma used a three-pointer on their next chance to again make it a double-digit difference. Twenty seconds later, Elle Deardorff made a pair of free throws to make it a ten-point game. Caroline Roecker hit a tough shot in the lane to make it 62-54 with just under seven minutes to go. The Scots, however, used a seven-point spurt over the next minute-plus to gain a 69-54 advantage. The Belles continued to battle with Deardorff and Kate Restovich putting up points to get Saint Mary's within 13 twice, but the Belles were unable to get over the hump late in a 78-63 final.

 

The Belles went 16-of-18 from the free throw line in the contest while the Scots were 16-of-25. The Scots were 27-of-62 (43.5 percent) from the floor with eight made threes. The Belles were 22-of-66 (33.3 percent) with three made three-pointers. Saint Mary's had a 12-5 scoring advantage in points off of turnovers and a 14-2 edge in points on the fastbreak. Alma held a 36-30 margin in points in the paint and a 15-8 advantage in second-chance points.

 

Elle Deardorff led the Belles with 18 points after connecting on 8-of-8 free throw attempts, a pair of threes, and a pair of two-point shots. The senior added a pair of steals and blocked a shot. Kate Restovich chipped in 17 points with a 4-of-4 effort at the free throw line, three assists, and three steals. Athena Samson posted 13 points and 11 rebounds for her eleventh double-double of the year. The senior also established a new program record for rebounds in a single season, eclipsing the previous mark of 269 set by Julie McGill in the 1997-98 season. Nicole Connolly had five points and six rebounds to go along with two steals and an assist. Mary Kate Gareau had two points, two rebounds, and two blocked shots. Annie Restovich, Lauren Gumma, Avery Schiesser, and Caroline Roecker each chipped in two points for the Belles.

 

Saint Mary's (5-18, 2-12 MIAA) travel to Albion on Wednesday for a 7:00 p.m. contest against the Brits.