NOTRE DAME, Ind. - A 10-0 run early in the second quarter distanced the Belles from visiting Kalamazoo and Saint Mary's led by at least 14 points over the remainder of the contest in an 83-53 victory over the Hornets on Wednesday night.

 

The two sides traded buckets back-and-forth to open play. Maddie Rzepka connected on a jumper on the first possession and added a fastbreak layup a minute later. After Kalamazoo hit a three-pointer for a 5-4 lead, Athena Samson got the lead right back for the home side with a layup at the other end. Rzepka connected on another layup and converted the three-point play a minute later for a 9-5 advantage. Anne Goralczyk gave Saint Mary's an 11-6 lead on two free throws, but another Kalamazoo three-pointer cut the lead to two before a layup by the Hornets tied things up at 11-11 with under four minutes remaining in the opening period. Rzepka hit a shot on the next Saint Mary's possession, and a Christina Shadid layup followed by two more Goralczyk free throws put the Belles up 17-11. Kalamazoo pulled within three points, but Rzepka again had the answers offensively with a three-pointer and a layup for 14 first-quarter points. Jasmyne Townsend dialed in a three of her own at the top of the key late in the period, and the Belles held a 25-17 lead at the first break.

 

The Hornets put the first point on the scoreboard in the second quarter with a free throw. Saint Mary's responded with a 10-0 run with eight points from Julia Schutz and a two-point bucket in the paint by Elle Deardorff for a 35-18 advantage. Christina Shadid sunk a pair of three-pointers, and Jasmyne Townsend added a buzzer-beating mid-range jumper as the Belles out-scored Kalamazoo 18-9 in the quarter for a 43-26 halftime lead. 

 

Nikki Murphy hit a tough reverse layup for the Belles early in the third quarter, Athena Samson hit back-to-back layups, and Julia Schutz had a fastbreak layup and a three-point play for a 54-29 Saint Mary's lead less than four minutes into the period. Christina Shadid added a pair of three-pointers to keep the momentum on the Belles' side as Saint Mary's held at least a 21-point lead down the stretch in the third stanza. 

 

Samson and Deardorff combined for nine points in the opening three minutes of the fourth quarter. Lauren Gumma added a three-pointer of her own, and Alyssa Matuza hit the first field goal of her collegiate career with an offensive rebound and put-back layup for a 76-48 lead midway through the final period. Gumma then drained two free throws and another three-pointer, and Mary Kate Gareau hit a shot in the paint as the Belles claimed the 83-53 home win.

 

The Belles held the scoring edge in the paint by out-scoring the Hornets 38-16 in the lane and had 35 points from non-starters to Kalamazoo's nine. The Hornets were 23-of-37 from the charity stripe while Saint Mary's hit 11-of-18 free throw attempts in the game. The Belles hit double-digit three-pointers for the second time this year with 10 good triples and tied for their season-low mark in turnovers with 10. 

 

Maddie Rzepka led Saint Mary's with 16 points and added six rebounds. Christina Shadid tallied a career-high 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the floor and a 4-of-9 effort from three-point range as the senior also dished out three assists and matched her career-high mark with three steals. Julia Schutz posted 13 points and eight rebounds, and Athena Samson collected her seventh double-double of the year with 12 points and a team-best 11 rebounds. Lauren Gumma notched eight points and four rebounds. Elle Deardorff and Jasmyne Townsend each chipped in five points. Anne Goralczyk added four points on the night. Nikki Murphy had a game-best four assists along with two points as Alyssa Matuza and Mary Kate Gareau each posted two points. 

 

The Belles (5-9, 2-3 MIAA) travel to in-state conference foe Trine on Saturday for a 3:00 p.m. contest against the Thunder.