NOTRE DAME, Ind. - The Saint Mary's basketball team hit their first seven shots from the floor for a 20-12 lead but ultimately fell short against No. 15 Hope in a 78-44 final on Wednesday night.

 

The Belles got on the scoreboard with a fastbreak layup by Annie Restovich, and Nicole Connolly drained a three-pointer to put Saint Mary's up 5-4. Elle Deardorff added a triple of her own for an 8-4 advantage, and Annie Restovich followed suit on the next Saint Mary's possession to make it an 11-6 lead. Restovich knocked down another three-pointer as the Belles continued to hit every shot they took. Athena Samson connected on a pair of free throws, and Deardorff hit a jumper for an 18-12 Saint Mary's lead. Lauren Gumma collected a steal, and Restovich hit yet another three-pointer to put the Belles up 20-12 with four minutes to play in the quarter. The Flying Dutch responded with a quick 11-0 run for a 23-20 lead, but Restovich found the bottom of the basket from deep yet again to knot the game at 23-23. Hope connected on a three-pointer of their own on the next possession, and a fastbreak layup with a minute to go gave the Flying Dutch a 26-23 lead at the end of the first quarter. Saint Mary's hit 66.7 percent of their shots from the floor and 71.4 percent of attempts from behind the arc in the opening stanza. Hope added a 68.8 percent shooting effort with a 55.6 percent three-point efficiency in the period.

 

Both teams saw their offenses cool off over the second quarter of play. The Flying Dutch had a pair of free throws followed by a three-pointer in the opening 2:22 of the quarter for a 33-23 advantage. Neither team could get a shot to fall over the next two-plus minutes of play until Caroline Roecker connected on a jumper to make it 33-25 midway through the quarter. Athena Samson added two more free throws as the Belles cut the deficit to six with 4:25 on the clock. Hope responded with a three-pointer on their next possession, but the two teams again hit a scoreless drought for over two minutes of play. The Flying Dutch, however, used two late free throws and a layup down the stretch to gain a 40-27 lead at the half.

 

Kate Restovich opened the third quarter with a pull up jump shot, but Hope used an 11-0 run over a three-plus minute span to gain a 51-29 advantage. Athena Samson, Kate Restovich, Annie Restovich, and Lauren Gumma all posted points only to see the Flying Dutch come back with points of their own in response, and Hope carried a 64-37 lead into the final period.

 

The two sides combined for four points over the opening 3:30 of the fourth quarter with Elle Deardorff sinking a jumper at the top of the key. The Belles, however, were unable to get a run late as the Flying Dutch maintained the double-digit lead before claiming the 78-44 final.  

 

Annie Restovich led the Belles with 15 points on the night, and Elle Deardorff posted 10 points with a pair of steals. Athena Samson had six points, four assists, and a game-high eight rebounds. Kate Restovich tallied four points and two assists. Nicole Connolly added three points, and Lauren Gumma, Mary Kate Gareau, and Caroline Roecker each had two points. Roecker matched her season-high rebound total with five boards in the game.

 

The Belles (1-6, 0-2 MIAA) are on the road on Saturday when they travel to Trine for a 1:00 p.m. conference game against the Thunder.