KALAMAZOO, Mich. - The Saint Mary's basketball team fought to try to overcome a first-quarter deficit but were unable to complete the comeback in an 80-70 setback at Kalamazoo on Saturday.

 

The Hornets claimed the lead on the first possession of the contest and added a bucket almost two minutes later for a 4-0 advantage. Elle Deardorff layup to get the Belles on the scoreboard with just over seven minutes on the clock. Kalamazoo, however, took advantage of a stretch where the shots just would not fall for Saint Mary's as the Hornets used an 11-0 run over the next 3:31 for a 15-2 lead. Athena Samson connected on a free throw with under three minutes to go in the period, and neither side was able to get a shot to fall over the remainder of the quarter as Kalamazoo held the 15-3 advantage after ten minutes of play.

 

After the Hornets posted three points in the second quarter, Alyssa Matuza hit a tough layup to put Saint Mary's on the scoreboard. Elle Deardorff added a layup to make it an 18-7 game. Avery Schiesser drained a jumper as the Belles continued to battle. With Kalamazoo leading 25-9, Mary Kate Gareau got a run started for Saint Mary's with a pair of free throws. Kate Restovich added a free throw, and Matuza hit her second layup of the quarter. The defense continued to halt the Hornets, and Gareau added another free throw before hitting a jumper to make it a 25-19 game with 2:55 on the clock. Kalamazoo got a second-chance bucket, but Kate Restovich had a free throw before Deardorff added a jumper to continue to keep the Belles within striking distance at 29-22 late in the quarter. The teams traded free throws with Lauren Gumma hitting both ends of a trip to the charity stripe, but a late three-pointer by Kalamazoo put the Hornets up 34-24 at the half.

 

The Belles again made it a single-digit difference in the opening moments of the third quarter. Back-to-back buckets by Athena Samson cut the deficit to eight less than a minute into the period, and Annie Restovich sunk a three-pointer in response to consecutive Kalamazoo buckets to make it 40-31. Samson added yet another bucket a few moments later to again edge the Belles within nine at 42-33. The teams traded points back-and-forth with Kate Restovich hitting a put-back jumper before back-to-back buckets by the freshman guard cut the deficit to six at 45-39 as Kalamazoo called a timeout. Another stretch where good shots just would not fall for the Belles led to a 10-1 spurt by the Hornets as Kalamazoo pushed their lead to 55-40. Samson connected on a free throw and hit a second-chance layup down the stretch in the quarter, but Kalamazoo continued to get the bounces on offense to take a 62-43 lead into the fourth period.

 

Caroline Roecker started the scoring in the fourth with an old-school three-point play with a bucket plus the free throw. Elle Deardorff added a three-pointer from distance after a pair of baskets by the Hornets, but Kalamazoo pushed their lead to 71-50 with 6:02 to go on a pair of layups. Saint Mary's continued to fight as the Belles tried to build a late-game comeback. Kate Restovich hit a pair of free throws and converted a three-point play moments later to make it 71-55. Mary Kate Gareau made a pair of three throws of her own to edge the Belles within 14. Kalamazoo put five points in the scoring column before Lauren Gumma hit a runner in the paint with under three minutes to play. Alyssa Matuza hit a free throw, Avery Schiesser converted both chances at the line, and Elle Deardorff hit a jumper to make it a 12-point game. Annie Restovich added a layup, Schiesser scored off a steal in transition, and Matuza posted a layup late, but the Belles were unable to get within fewer than ten points down the stretch in an 80-70 final.

 

The Belles outscored the Hornets in points in the paint (32-28), points off of turnovers (19-14), second chance points (21-10), and points from players who did not start (27-13) while also holding the edge in offensive rebounds 24-9 in the contest. Kalamazoo capitalized on seven made three-pointers while Saint Mary's was limited to two made threes in the game. The Hornets connected on 26-of-61 (42.6 percent) shots from the floor while the Belles hit 24-of-79 (30.4 percent) of their attempts on the day.

 

Kate Restovich led the team and shared game-high honors with 15 points. Elle Deardorff added 11 points, two assists, and two steals. Athena Samson posted 10 points and 10 rebounds for her ninth double-double of the year. Mary Kate Gareau and Alyssa Matuza each posted seven points, which also marks a new career-high point total. Annie Restovich had six points and seven rebounds, and Avery Schiesser notched a season-high six points and a team-high three steals.

 

The Belles (5-16, 2-10 MIAA) travel to Olivet on Wednesday, February 7 for a 6:00 p.m. league contest against the Comets.