NOTRE DAME, Ind. - The Belles basketball team outscored visiting Adrian 33-12 in the third quarter and carried that momentum to an 88-70 conference victory over the Bulldogs on Saturday afternoon.

 

Elle Deardorff opened the game with a good three-pointer, and Julia Schutz added a layup for a 5-3 lead early. The Belles hit a tough scoring stretch, however, as the Bulldogs used a 14-3 run to take a 17-8 lead with two minutes remaining in the opening period. Nicole Connolly made it a seven-point game with a jumper, and Lauren Gumma connected on a three-pointer late in the quarter to put the Belles within six at 19-13 through the first ten minutes of play.

 

Christina Shadid and Maddie Rzepka put the Belles on the scoreboard early in the second quarter, and a Julia Schutz three-pointer started an 8-0 spurt for Saint Mary's. Elle Deardorff and Nicole Connolly put Saint Mary's ahead 25-23, and a Mary Kate Gareau jumper in the paint made it 27-24 in favor of the home side. Adrian countered with a scoring spurt of their own to gain a 36-31 lead. Deardorff dialed one in from long distance, and Connolly hit a baseline jumper just before the halftime buzzer as the Belles kept close at 40-36 midway through the contest.

 

The momentum shifted in a big way early in the third quarter as Saint Mary's hit 5-of-5 three-point attempts to begin the second half of action. Elle Deardorff made back-to-back triples, Julia Schutz added back-to-back threes of her own, and Deardorff capped off the hot start with another three to put the Belles ahead 51-45 just 2:34 into the quarter. Back-to-back mid-range shots a short while later made it 58-47. Christina Shadid found the bottom of the net with a good three-pointer of her own, and Lauren Gumma sunk a pair of free throws for a 15-point lead at 66-51, and Maddie Rzepka ensured a 17-point lead going into to the final quarter with a layup and two late free throws for a 69-52 lead. Saint Mary's hit 64.3 percent (9-of-14) of their shots from the floor and 6-of-7 three-pointers (85.7 percent) in the third period for a 33-12 scoring advantage. Adrian, meanwhile, was 5-of-21 (23.8 percent) from the floor as the Bulldogs were unable to hit a three-pointer in the quarter.

 

Saint Mary's kept finding offensive success in the fourth period as the Belles opened the final stanza with an 8-2 scoring spurt to extend the lead to 77-54 just three minutes into the quarter. The Bulldogs edged within 17 points on four occasions, but the Belles had a response each time to keep a comeback attempt at bay in an 88-70 final.

 

Saint Mary's hit a season-high 11 three-pointers and were 11-of-21 (52.4 percent) from behind the arc while Adrian was 3-of-22 (13.6 percent) from three-point range in the game. The Belles hit 19-of-25 free throws to the Bulldogs' 7-of-18 and had a 43-38 advantage in rebounds.

 

Elle Deardorff matched her career-high total with a game-high 19 points on 5-of-8 shooting from three-point range. Julia Schutz narrowly missed a double-double with 16 points and nine rebounds. Athena Samson chipped in 10 points and six rebounds with a career-best five assists. Maddie Rzepka and Nicole Connolly each tallied nine points, and Mary Kate Gareau scored eight points with three assists. Lauren Gumma and Christina Shadid each registered seven points in the victory.

 

The Belles (4-4, 1-1 MIAA) have a break from conference play as they travel to neighboring Holy Cross College for a 6:00 p.m. contest on Tuesday, December 6.