HOLLAND, Mich. - Host Hope shot 54.4 percent from the floor as the Saint Mary's basketball team shouldered a 93-44 setback against the No. 7 (WBCA Top 25 Coaches Poll) Flying Dutch on Wednesday evening.

 

After the Flying Dutch turned a pair of turnovers into layups, the Belles got on the scoreboard with a Giavanna Paradiso free throw 1:18 into play. Hope hit a shot to make it a 6-1 game, but Jade Mosier connected on a jump shot to cut the deficit to three points with 7:55 on the clock. The Flying Dutch countered with buckets on each of their next four possessions to jump-start a 17-0 run over the next five-plus minutes of play for a 23-3 lead. Kelsie Bies sunk a jump shot in the lane to break the scoreless drought, but Hope put four more points on the scoreboard in the final 1:21 of the period for a 27-5 lead through ten minutes of play.

 

Hope's offense continued to click at high efficiency in the second quarter as the Flying Dutch hit 64.7 percent of their shots from the floor and 85.7 percent of their three-point attempts. The Belles more than doubled their shooting percentage from the first to the second periods, but many shots still would not fall for Saint Mary's as Hope held a 56-17 advantage at the halftime break.

 

The Belles stayed closer to the Flying Dutch in both the third and fourth periods as Hope held just a 19-16 scoring advantage in the final stanza of play. The MIAA-leading Hope offense, however, was too much as the Flying Dutch went on to claim a 93-44 final.

 

Hope out-rebounded Saint Mary's 41-33 and out-scored the Belles 42-22 in the paint. The Flying Dutch tallied their highest shooting percentage of the season (54.4). Saint Mary's had a tough time getting shots to fall despite taking just eight fewer attempts from the floor than Hope as the Belles were held to their lowest shooting percentage in a conference game this season (30.0 percent).

 

Erin Maloney had her first career double-double with 10 points and a career-high 10 rebounds. Jade Mosier chipped in 10 points and eight rebounds, and Giavanna Paradiso tallied nine points. Kelsie Bies scored six points for the Belles. Carin Kaminski drained a three-pointer, and Delaney Rohlman, Caroline Macius, and Bella Dugas each added a bucket.