NOTRE DAME, Ind. - Down 64-62 with under a minute to play, the Saint Mary's basketball team put the final six points on the scoreboard to capture a 68-64 win over North Central in the season opener on Wednesday evening.

 

Trailing 5-2 early, Anne Goralczyk hit a jumper in the paint and added a turnaround jump shot in the lane a minute later to put the Belles up 6-5. Elle Deardorff and Maddie Rzepka drained back-to-back three pointers on the next two Saint Mary's possessions for a 12-8 advantage. The Cardinals used an offensive board and put-back to make it a two-point lead with under five minutes remaining in the quarter. Nikki Murphy kept a possession alive with an offensive board, and Jasmyne Townsend connected on a mid-range jumper for a 14-10 lead. Rzepka added a bucket, Athena Samson hit a free throw, and Townsend sunk a three-pointer to quickly push the Belles' lead to 20-10. Townsend added yet another mid-range jumper, and Rzepka dialed one in from long distance to push the Saint Mary's advantage to 25-13 as the Cardinals called a timeout. North Central got a free throw late in the quarter as the Belles held a 25-14 lead after ten minutes of play. Saint Mary's shot 52.9 percent (9-of-17) from the floor over the opening period of play.

 

The two sides traded buckets back-and-forth over the opening four minutes of the second stanza with Townsend, Nikki Murphy, and Nicole Connolly all registering buckets. North Central edged within eight before Connolly pushed the tempo in transition and threaded a pass to Samson, who converted the fastbreak layup for a 33-23 lead with 4:25 on the clock. A pair of free throws by Samson on the next Saint Mary's possession kept the Belles up 35-25, and the junior forward added a layup a short while later for a 37-28 Saint Mary's advantage. Samson converted a put-back chance the next time down the court, and an Elle Deardorff three-pointer gave Saint Mary's a 42-31 lead at the halftime break.

 

The Belles continued to find an answer to anything the Cardinals threw at them in the third quarter. When North Central cut the difference to seven points, Nikki Murphy stepped back at the baseline and drained a corner three-pointer for a 50-40 lead. Julia Schutz had a free throw to continue to keep a cushion of a lead at 51-44, and Maddie Rzepka hit a baseline jumper in transition in the closing seconds of the period for a 53-46 Saint Mary's lead heading into the fourth quarter.

 

Points by Rzepka and Goralczyk early in the fourth saw the Belles hold a pair of eight-point leads through the opening three minutes. The Cardinals chipped away, however, and cut the Saint Mary's lead to three midway through the quarter. Julia Schutz converted a pair of free throws for a 61-56 lead with four minutes to go, but North Central posted the next six points of the game to snag a 62-61 lead with 1:47 to play. Maddie Rzepka drew a foul and converted the front end of a trip to the charity stripe to knot the game at 62-62. North Central responded with a second-chance layup on their next possession for a 64-62 avantage with under a minute to play. Nikki Murphy found Julia Schutz in the lane for a layup to knot the game at 64-64. Athena Samson came away with a big rebound at the other end, and the Belles guard duo of Nikki Murphy and Nicole Connolly used their speed in transition to get a layup the other way for a 66-64 lead. The Belles got another big stop on defense, and Julia Schutz pulled down the defensive rebound with under ten seconds remaining. Schutz converted both free throws to all but secure the win. The Cardinals put up a desperation three-pointer just before the buzzer but missed as Saint Mary's ran out the final 0.3 of time for the four-point win.

 

The Belles had a ten-point advantage in points from non-starters in the game (22-12) and out-scored the Cardinals 9-2 in fast break points. Saint Mary's used 15 offensive boards to score 16 points on the night while out-rebounding North Central 49-37 overall. 

 

Maddie Rzepka led the Belles with 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the floor as the senior added three rebounds and an assist in the victory. Julia Schutz shared team-high honors with 10 rebounds and added 12 points for her third-career double-double while dishing out a career-best four assists. Athena Samson just missed out on a double-double in her Saint Mary's debut as the junior forward added 10 rebounds and nine points, marking new single-game career-highs in both categories. Jasmyne Townsend chipped in nine points and five rebounds, and Nikki Murphy had five points, four assists, four rebounds, and a steal. Anne Goralczyk and Elle Deardorff each tallied six points as Goralczyk led the Belles with two steals. Nicole Connolly added four points, five rebounds, and two assists.

 

The Belles (1-0) are back on their home hardwood on Saturday as they host Dominican at 3:00 p.m.