NOTRE DAME, Ind. - The Saint Mary's basketball team posted the first ten points of the game and never trailed in a 77-52 victory over Dominican on Saturday afternoon.

 

After Mary Kate Gareau, Athena Samson, and Nicole Connolly each had a free throw, the Belles opened the scoring in a hurry. Jasmyne Townsend got the offensive rhythm going with a jumper, and Connolly hit back-to-back layups and added an and-one for a 10-0 lead. Connolly continued to set the tone early with two more free throws, and Athena Samson, Carly Sherfield, and Kate Restovich gave the Belles an 18-7 advantage. The Stars hit a pair of shots in the final two minutes of the period to edge within six at 18-12 heading into the second quarter.

 

Elle Deardorff kicked off the period with a good three-pointer, and Kate Restovich added a triple of her own to make it a 24-12 lead. After a Dominican bucket with eight minutes on the clock, Saint Mary's responded with a 14-0 run over the next five-plus minutes of play for a 38-16 advantage. Lauren Gumma accounted for more than half of that run with a pair of three-pointers and a layup while Connolly and Samson each added points during that span as the Belles held a 38-18 lead at the half. 

 

The Belles continued to push the pace when they could while getting several shots to fall in their set offense in the third quarter as Saint Mary's outscored Dominican 22-12 in the period. The one-two punch of Jasmyne Townsend on the perimeter and Athena Samson in the post proved to be a potent one as Townsend had nine points in the quarter while Samson added six.

 

While the Stars held the scoring edge in the fourth quarter, the Belles' lead was never in jeopardy as Saint Mary's held at least a 22-point advantage over the remainder of the contest. Townsend continued to have the hot hand in the half as the junior added eight points over the final ten minutes of play. Annie Restovich added four, Kate Restovich and Mary Kate Gareau each had two, and Nyah Porter connected on a free throw to all ensure the double-digit margin of victory.

 

Saint Mary's had scoring advantages in points off of turnovers (25-16), points in the paint (34-30), second-chance opportunities (15-9), and fast break chances (19-4).

 

Jasmyne Townsend led all players with 19 points. Athena Samson posted 13 points, pulled down a game-best 17 rebounds, and dished out three assists while blocking three shots. Lauren Gumma matched her career-high with 11 points and added two assists. Nicole Connolly chipped in 10 points with two assists and a steal. Kate Restovich tallied nine points, and Annie Restovich, Carly Sherfield, Mary Kate Gareau, Elle Deardorff, and Nyah Porter all added points in the win. Deardorff paced all players with five assists. Annie Restovich, Avery Schiesser, and Connolly posted two assists apiece. Mary Kate Gareau had a career-best three steals while coming down with seven rebounds, and Caroline Roecker collected five rebounds of her own.

 

The Belles (1-1) are back on the hardwood on Friday, November 17 when they host Wheaton at 6:00 p.m.