NOTRE DAME, Ind. - The Saint Mary's basketball team hit a season-high 11 three-pointers and withstood a second-half comeback attempt by visiting Kalamazoo in a 71-59 win on Tuesday evening.

 

The first quarter was filled with back-and-forth action. Bella Dugas had the hot hand to start things off with an offensive rebound and put-back bucket before draining a three-pointer for a 5-2 Saint Mary's lead. Dugas connected on another triple for an 8-4 advantage just over three minutes into play. Julia Schutz broke up a scoreless stretch by both sides, and Morgan Flynn hit a mid-range jumper to keep the Belles ahead 12-9. Schutz hit a three-pointer of her own in the final minute of the quarter, but a second-chance bucket by the Hornets kept Kalamazoo within two points at 15-13 through the first period of play.

 

A pair of free throws by the visiting side early in the second stanza saw the Hornets knot the game at 15-15, but Anne Goralczyk had an offensive rebound and good jump shot before converting a three-point play on the next Saint Mary's possession to make it a 20-15 game. Maddie Rzepka got on the scoresheet with a pair of free throws, and Schutz connected on another three-pointer for a 25-17 lead with 5:48 on the clock. Kalamazoo countered with a pair of baskets to cut the scoring margin to four with under four minutes to go before halftime. Claire Bartz hit a key second-chance bucket on the next possession. Jasmyne Townsend went two-for-two at the charity stripe, and Bartz joined in on the long-distance shooting with a trey for a 32-21 lead. The Hornets broke up the scoring run with a first-half buzzer beater from just inside the three-point line as the Belles took the 32-23 lead at the break.

 

Kalamazoo opened the third quarter with a three-pointer, but the Belles came right back with another Goralczyk bucket followed by a Christina Shadid layup. Goralczyk added another bucket to again push the Belles' lead to double-digits at 38-28. Each time the Hornets tried to make a run, Saint Mary's found a clutch basket. A Maddie Rzepka three-pointer turned a five-point lead into an eight-point advantage, and Elle Deardorff and Jasmyne Townsend hit shots for 11-point leads at both 47-36 and 49-38 late in the quarter. The Hornets continued to make it a close game, however, as six points over the final 1:35 of the quarter saw the Saint Mary's lead stand at 49-44 going into the final quarter.

 

Rzepka started the fourth period with a good three-pointer. Kalamazoo made it a seven-point game at 52-45, but back-to-back buckets by Townsend and Rzepka pushed Saint Mary's ahead 56-45. One more push by the Hornets made it a seven-point game with 5:35 to play. Bartz, however, hit her third three-pointer of the game to start an 11-2 run for the Belles. Elle Deardorff posted a pair of threes during that run, and Saint Mary's led by at least 12 points over the remainder of the game in the 71-59 final.

 

Saint Mary's was 11-of-23 from three-point range for a season-best 47.8 shooting effort from distance. The 11 made three-pointers marks the most made treys by the Belles since the squad connected on 12 shots from beyond the arc in an MIAA Tournament win at Albion on February 19, 2019.

 

Maddie Rzepka led Saint Mary's with 14 points, and Claire Bartz chipped in 11 points. Anne Goralczyk got it done on both ends of the court with nine points, nine rebounds, and a blocked shot. Julia Schutz added eight points and nine rebounds, and Bella Dugas and Elle Deardorff each posted eight points. Jasmyne Townsend recorded six points on the night.

 

The Belles (5-15, 4-7 MIAA) are back on the road on Saturday when they travel to Hope for a 5:00 p.m. contest.