NOTRE DAME, Ind. - In a game which featured eight ties and seven lead changes, the Saint Mary's basketball team ended on the short side of an 83-77 final against Anderson on Tuesday evening.

 

Athena Samson, Nikki Murphy, and Jasmyne Townsend each hit a bucket over the opening stretch of up-and-down action as the Belles trailed 8-6. A Nicole Connolly free throw and an Anne Goralczyk jumper in the paint kept Saint Mary's close with over three minutes remaining in the period. A pair of three-pointers and a bucket off of a turnover by the Ravens, however, shifted the momentum to Anderson as the guests took a 19-9 lead at the end of the first quarter.

 

The Ravens extended their advantage to 13 in the opening minutes of the second quarter, but the Belles continued to chip away at the deficit. With the score standing at 28-17 with under five minutes remaining in the period, Saint Mary's went on a 10-0 run to considerably close the gap. Nicole Connolly, Julia Schutz, and Jasmyne Townsend all got in on the scoring to pull the Belles within a point at 28-27 with under a minute to go before the half. A second-chance basket by the Ravens, however, gave the guests a 30-27 lead at the break.

 

A pair of Athena Samson free throws followed by an Elle Deardorff three-pointer to open the third quarter put the Belles ahead 32-30 just 42 seconds into the half. Neither team was able to build more than a one-possession lead until a free throw by Maddie Rzepka and buckets by Connolly and Samson put Saint Mary's up five points at 47-42. The Ravens countered with five points of their own to tie the score at 47-47, but the Belles capitalized on trips to the charity stripe for a 51-47 advantage. A strong layup by Connolly and a jumper by Elle Deardorff later in the quarter kept the edge in favor of the home side at 55-50 with under a minute to go. Anderson notched a three-pointer on their next possession, and neither side was able to get a shot to fall over the remainder of the quarter as the Belles held a 55-53 lead going into the final period. 

 

Athena Samson twice gave the Belles a four-point lead at 57-53 and 65-61 in the fourth quarter. A 10-0 run by Anderson, however, shifted the momentum back to the visiting side as the Ravens claimed a 71-65 lead with under six minutes left on the clock. Nikki Murphy used a strong move to the bucket for a layup, Elle Deardorff drained a three, and Samson added a second-chance bucket in the paint to cut the deficit to two at 74-72 with three minutes to go. The Ravens responded with back-to-back three-pointers for an 80-72 lead with a minute-and-a-half to go. The Belles were unable to get a bucket over the next minute to build a comeback as Anderson pushed ahead 83-72. Julia Schutz connected on a late three-pointer, and Elle Deardorff scored off an inbounds pass in the final seconds. It was not enough though as the Belles shouldered the 83-77 setback.

 

The Ravens connected on 17-of-42 (40.5 percent) of their three-point attempts and added just 12 two-point shots in the game. The Belles were 6-of-20 (30.0 percent) behind the arc with 22 made two-point buckets. Saint Mary's had a commanding edge in rebounds by a 67-46 margin, and the Belles had 21-second chance points to Anderson's eight. The Belles were also +12 (36-24) in points in the paint.

 

Athena Samson registered her third-consecutive double-double with a team-best and career-best 18 points and a career-high 17 rebounds for the Belles. The junior forward added three assists and three blocked shots in the contest. Elle Deardorff chipped in 17 points, and Julia Schutz collected a double-double with 12 points and a career-high 15 rebounds with three assists. Nicole Connolly tallied 11 points and two steals. Maddie Rzepka and Nikki Murphy each had five points.

 

The Belles (3-3) will take a break for the Thanksgiving holiday and are back in action on Wednesday, November 30 when they travel to Albion for their MIAA opener starting at 7:30 p.m.