Posted: Feb 07, 2024
OLIVET, Mich. - The Saint Mary's basketball team trailed by nine with three-and-a-half minutes to go but saw their late comeback effort run out of time in a 76-73 final at Olivet on Wednesday night.
The Comets struck first with a layup a minute and a half into action and added another layup a minute later for a 4-0 lead. Olivet hit another layup before connecting on a three-pointer for a 9-0 advantage as the Belles called a timeout three minutes into play. Mary Kate Gareau got the Belles into the scoring column with a free throw, and Lauren Gumma drained a three-pointer after a defensive stop to make it an 11-4 game with five minutes on the clock. Olivet put four consecutive points up, but Nicole Connolly connected on a jumper and Caroline Roecker added a free throw to make it an eight-point game with three minutes to go in the period. Nyah Porter sunk a jumper a minute later to make it 15-9, but the Comets added back-to-back buckets to push their lead back to double digits. Athena Samson, however, had the late response for the Belles with a three-point play to edge Saint Mary's within seven at 19-12.
Neither team could get an offensive rhythm for much of the second quarter as the two sides combined for 11 points through the first seven minutes of the period. Athena Samson hit an early free throw, and Avery Schiesser connected on a jumper with just over four minutes left on the clock. The Belles continued to chip away at the deficit with a layup by Samson and a jumper by Nicole Connolly. Saint Mary's got a big spark from Lauren Gumma, who made a driving layup and added the and-one free throw to make it a six-point game. After a defensive stop, Connolly dialed in a triple in front of the Olivet bench to pull the Belles within 28-25 with a minute remaining. The Comets got a free throw on their next possession, and Athena Samson had the near-immediate answer with a layup to make it a 29-27 game at the half.
Saint Mary's opened the third quarter with a pair of defensive stops before drawing even at 29-29 with a layup by Athena Samson. The defense continued to lock down on Olivet as Saint Mary's forced the Comets into a shot clock violation. Samson then converted a layup at the other end to give the Belles their first lead of the game at 31-29. Annie Restovich stole the ball away deep on the Belles' offensive end, drew a foul, and converted both free throws to make it 33-29. The Comets got on the scoreboard with a layup, but Elle Deardorff sunk a three-pointer to put the Belles ahead 36-31 while also helping the squad break the program's all-time made three-pointers in a season record. Olivet put together a nine-point scoring spurt to go up 40-36 with 4:00 still remaining in the quarter. Lauren Gumma raced up the lane to snag an offensive rebound, was fouled on the put-back attempt, and hit both free throws to make it a two-point difference, but Olivet used a three-pointer to make it a two-possession game at 43-38. Kate Restovich added a pair of free throws of her own, and Elle Deardorff posted two more free throws to make it a 46-42 game. The Belles got another stop before Restovich connected on two more free throws to pull the Belles within two points at 46-44 with under a minute to go, and Saint Mary's kept Olivet off the scoreboard on their last possession of the period to keep it a two-point game going into the fourth.
Olivet opened the fourth with a three-pointer, but the Belles countered with their own as Annie Restovich drained a triple. Back-to-back baskets by the Comets gave Olivet a 53-47 lead. Elle Deardorff was left wide open at the top of the key, and the senior hit another three-pointer to make it a 53-50 game. Down 57-50, Nicole Connolly hit a three-pointer with six minutes on the clock. The Comets responded with a pair of free throws and a jump shot in transition to gain a 61-53 lead as the Belles called a timeout with 5:18 on the clock. Kate Restovich hit a three-pointer out of the break before the Comets made a jumper with 4:13 to go to make it 63-56. The Comets extended their lead to 65-56 before Athena Samson put away a layup with more than three minutes to go. Saint Mary's got a defensive stop out of a timeout but were unable to capitalize the other way. After another key stop, Elle Deardorff sparked a late comeback effort with a three-pointer. Athena Samson swiped a steal, and Annie Restovich drained a three-pointer to pull the Belles within one at 65-64. The Comets, however, used four free throws over the next minute to gain a 69-64 advantage with 54 seconds remaining. Using a timeout to advance the ball, Saint Mary's struck quickly with a good three-pointer by Annie Restovich to cut the deficit to two. The Belles answered two more Olivet free throws with a driving layup by Elle Deardorff to again make it a two-point game. That back-and-forth rhetoric continued with Athena Samson hitting a wide open layup to make it 73-71 with just under 22 seconds on the clock. Olivet used a free throw to push their lead to three, but Athena Samson came away with a big defensive rebound with 14 seconds remaining to give the Belles a chance to tie things up late. Olivet quickly fouled before Kate Restovich could get off potential-game tying three-pointer - which incidentally went in well after the whistle - as the Comets fouled her on the floor, and the freshman hit both free throws to pull Saint Mary's within one. The Comets made both free throws to push their lead to three with 11 seconds to play. The game-tying three-point attempt by the Belles the other way was off the mark as Saint Mary's came up just shy in the 76-73 final.
The Belles hit 10 three-pointers in the contest to give the 2023-24 squad the program record for the most three-pointers made in a season, eclipsing the previous record of 143 set last year. Saint Mary's out-rebounded Olivet 54-38 in the game and had a 17-12 edge in second-chance points. The Comets made 26-of-63 (41.3 percent) of their attempts from the floor while the Belles connected on 23-of-75 (30.7 percent) of their shots in the game.
Four players for Saint Mary's registered double-digit points on the night, led by Athena Samson's 16. The senior added a game-high 22 rebounds to register her second 20-plus rebound game of the season. Elle Deardorff posted 13 points, and Annie Restovich chipped in 11. Nicole Connolly put up 10 points and matched her career-high mark of nine rebounds. Kate Restovich posted nine points, and Lauren Gumma had eight points for the Belles.
Saint Mary's (5-17, 2-11 MIAA) are back at home for the final time in the 2023-24 season when they host Alma on Saturday, February 10 at 1:00 p.m. The senior members of the team will be recognized prior to the game at approximately 12:45 p.m.
Neither team could get an offensive rhythm for much of the second quarter as the two sides combined for 11 points through the first seven minutes of the period. Athena Samson hit an early free throw, and Avery Schiesser connected on a jumper with just over four minutes left on the clock. The Belles continued to chip away at the deficit with a layup by Samson and a jumper by Nicole Connolly. Saint Mary's got a big spark from Lauren Gumma, who made a driving layup and added the and-one free throw to make it a six-point game. After a defensive stop, Connolly dialed in a triple in front of the Olivet bench to pull the Belles within 28-25 with a minute remaining. The Comets got a free throw on their next possession, and Athena Samson had the near-immediate answer with a layup to make it a 29-27 game at the half.
Saint Mary's opened the third quarter with a pair of defensive stops before drawing even at 29-29 with a layup by Athena Samson. The defense continued to lock down on Olivet as Saint Mary's forced the Comets into a shot clock violation. Samson then converted a layup at the other end to give the Belles their first lead of the game at 31-29. Annie Restovich stole the ball away deep on the Belles' offensive end, drew a foul, and converted both free throws to make it 33-29. The Comets got on the scoreboard with a layup, but Elle Deardorff sunk a three-pointer to put the Belles ahead 36-31 while also helping the squad break the program's all-time made three-pointers in a season record. Olivet put together a nine-point scoring spurt to go up 40-36 with 4:00 still remaining in the quarter. Lauren Gumma raced up the lane to snag an offensive rebound, was fouled on the put-back attempt, and hit both free throws to make it a two-point difference, but Olivet used a three-pointer to make it a two-possession game at 43-38. Kate Restovich added a pair of free throws of her own, and Elle Deardorff posted two more free throws to make it a 46-42 game. The Belles got another stop before Restovich connected on two more free throws to pull the Belles within two points at 46-44 with under a minute to go, and Saint Mary's kept Olivet off the scoreboard on their last possession of the period to keep it a two-point game going into the fourth.
Olivet opened the fourth with a three-pointer, but the Belles countered with their own as Annie Restovich drained a triple. Back-to-back baskets by the Comets gave Olivet a 53-47 lead. Elle Deardorff was left wide open at the top of the key, and the senior hit another three-pointer to make it a 53-50 game. Down 57-50, Nicole Connolly hit a three-pointer with six minutes on the clock. The Comets responded with a pair of free throws and a jump shot in transition to gain a 61-53 lead as the Belles called a timeout with 5:18 on the clock. Kate Restovich hit a three-pointer out of the break before the Comets made a jumper with 4:13 to go to make it 63-56. The Comets extended their lead to 65-56 before Athena Samson put away a layup with more than three minutes to go. Saint Mary's got a defensive stop out of a timeout but were unable to capitalize the other way. After another key stop, Elle Deardorff sparked a late comeback effort with a three-pointer. Athena Samson swiped a steal, and Annie Restovich drained a three-pointer to pull the Belles within one at 65-64. The Comets, however, used four free throws over the next minute to gain a 69-64 advantage with 54 seconds remaining. Using a timeout to advance the ball, Saint Mary's struck quickly with a good three-pointer by Annie Restovich to cut the deficit to two. The Belles answered two more Olivet free throws with a driving layup by Elle Deardorff to again make it a two-point game. That back-and-forth rhetoric continued with Athena Samson hitting a wide open layup to make it 73-71 with just under 22 seconds on the clock. Olivet used a free throw to push their lead to three, but Athena Samson came away with a big defensive rebound with 14 seconds remaining to give the Belles a chance to tie things up late. Olivet quickly fouled before Kate Restovich could get off potential-game tying three-pointer - which incidentally went in well after the whistle - as the Comets fouled her on the floor, and the freshman hit both free throws to pull Saint Mary's within one. The Comets made both free throws to push their lead to three with 11 seconds to play. The game-tying three-point attempt by the Belles the other way was off the mark as Saint Mary's came up just shy in the 76-73 final.
The Belles hit 10 three-pointers in the contest to give the 2023-24 squad the program record for the most three-pointers made in a season, eclipsing the previous record of 143 set last year. Saint Mary's out-rebounded Olivet 54-38 in the game and had a 17-12 edge in second-chance points. The Comets made 26-of-63 (41.3 percent) of their attempts from the floor while the Belles connected on 23-of-75 (30.7 percent) of their shots in the game.
Four players for Saint Mary's registered double-digit points on the night, led by Athena Samson's 16. The senior added a game-high 22 rebounds to register her second 20-plus rebound game of the season. Elle Deardorff posted 13 points, and Annie Restovich chipped in 11. Nicole Connolly put up 10 points and matched her career-high mark of nine rebounds. Kate Restovich posted nine points, and Lauren Gumma had eight points for the Belles.
Saint Mary's (5-17, 2-11 MIAA) are back at home for the final time in the 2023-24 season when they host Alma on Saturday, February 10 at 1:00 p.m. The senior members of the team will be recognized prior to the game at approximately 12:45 p.m.