ANDERSON, Ind. - The Saint Mary's basketball team fell in an 84-77 offensive outburst at Anderson on Tuesday night.

 

Elle Deardorff hit a three-pointer on the first possession of the game, and the Belles jumped out to a 13-0 lead over the next three minutes of action. Deardorff connected on her second triple before draining a trio of free throws for the 9-0 advantage. Athena Samson converted a layup off of a feed from Deardorff, and the senior post player added another layup on the next Saint Mary's possession for the lead. The Ravens used a 10-4 spurt to make it a five-point game at 17-12 with four minutes still remaining in the period. The offensive tempo kicked up a notch as both teams hit a series of shots in quick succession to score a combined 23 points in the span of 2:49. That onslaught of scoring saw the Ravens draw even with the Belles at 27-27 with under a minute remaining in the quarter. Kate Restovich drew a late foul and connected on a free throw to give Saint Mary's a 28-27 lead at the end of the period.

 

Athena Samson opened the second period with a layup on a put-back in the paint for a 30-27 lead before the Ravens knotted the game with a quick three-pointer the other way six seconds later. Both sides hit a scoreless stretch before Anderson took a lead at 31-30. Nicole Connolly got the lead right back with a pair of free throws. Kate Restovich hit a layup, and an Annie Restovich three-pointer pushed Saint Mary's ahead 37-31. The Belles, however, had a hard time getting shots to fall over the next several minutes while the Ravens put 13 points on the scoreboard for a 44-37 advantage. Kate and Annie Restovich each had a free throw down the stretch, and the Belles were right in the mix with the score at 44-39 at the half.

 

Annie Restovich converted both ends of a trip to the charity stripe before draining a three-pointer, and Athena Samson knotted the score at 46-46 with a layup. Elle Deardorff then regained the lead for Saint Mary's with a pair of free throws. After an Anderson three-pointer, Deardorff sliced to the basket for a layup for a 50-49 lead. Free throws were key from start to finish, and Athena Samson, Elle Deardorff, and Annie Restovich all put points on the board from the line as the Belles led 55-54 late in the quarter. A Kate Restovich free throw tied the score at 56-56 moments later, but the Ravens responded with three free throws of their own for a 59-56 lead going into the final stanza.

 

An early run in the fourth put Anderson up 68-58 less than three minutes into the quarter. Elle Deardorff hit a big three-pointer to make it a seven-point game, and the senior dialed another one in from long distance a minute later as the Belles trailed 71-64. Deardoff's hot hand continued with a good jump shot to pull the Belles within five at 71-66. Mary Kate Gareau had a jumper in response to a Ravens bucket, and Annie Restovich sunk two free throws to again make it a five-point game at 75-70. Kate Restovich nailed a three-pointer in front of the Saint Mary's bench with two minutes to go to make it a four-point difference, but the home squad quickly countered with a jump shot. Deardorff converted a pair of free throws moments later as the score stood at 79-75 in favor of Anderson. The Ravens, however, had a three-pointer on their next possession and had two free throws while the Belles could not get a much-needed shot to fall until a Nicole Connolly jumper at the buzzer in an 84-77 final.

 

Elle Deardorff scored a career-high 27 points while hitting 50.0 percent of her shots from the floor. The senior also dished out two assists in the contest. Athena Samson posted her third double-double with 14 points and a career-high 24 rebounds. Moreover, the 24 rebounds set the school record in a single game by a Saint Mary's player in program history. The previous record of 23 was set by Anna Kammrath on January 13, 2010 against Hope. Annie Restovich put up 13 points and seven rebounds with two steals, and Kate Restovich added 10 points, seven rebounds, a team-best four assists, and a steal. Nicole Connolly chipped in nine points. Carly Sherfield and Mary Kate Gareau each tallied two points. 

 

The Belles (1-4) have a break from competition until Saturday, December 2 when they host Calvin in their conference opener. Game time is set for 1:00 p.m.

 

 

*updates to the statistics were made after the initial release of this recap