NOTRE DAME, Ind. - Trailing by four with under three minutes to go, the Saint Mary's basketball team got stops down the stretch and closed out the game on a 10-2 run to claim a 76-69 win over  visiting Kalamazoo on Wednesday.

 

The Belles scored on their first possession and added a bucket less than a minute later for a 4-0 advantage off the bat. Both teams had trouble getting shots to fall over the next two minutes of action, but Elle Deardorff used a three-pointer to make it a 7-0 Saint Mary's lead. The Hornets got on the scoreboard with a three-pointer of their own, and the two sides traded points back-and-forth during the remainder of the first quarter. Julia Schutz and Athena Samson gave the Belles a 13-10 lead, and Lauren Gumma drained a triple for a 16-10 lead. Kalamazoo, however, came back with a three-pointer on their last possession of the quarter to make it 16-13 through ten minutes of play.

 

Nicole Connolly opened the second quarter with a jumper, and Julia Schutz hit a put-back jumper for a 20-13 lead early in the period. The Hornets cut the difference to four before Mary Kate Gareau made a layup and the and-one free throw for a 24-17 advantage. Gareau had the response bucket again a short while later for a 26-19 lead with six minutes on the clock. Back-to-back buckets by Shutz pushed the lead to 30-21 with 4:17 on the clock. After two Kalamazoo free throws, Elle Deardorff connected on a free throw moments before Annie Restovich sunk a three-pointer to give Saint Mary's a 34-23 edge with two minutes to go. The Hornets closed out the quarter on a tear, however, and used an 8-0 spurt over the span of a minute and a half to make it a 34-31 game at the halftime break.

 

The Belles continued to have an answer for the Hornets early in the third quarter. Julia Schutz used a driving layup to give the Belles a five-point cushion, and Kate Restovich added a layup of her own for a 38-31 lead. Elle Deardorff hit another three-pointer to make it 41-33 with 5:22 on the clock. Kalamazoo, however, rattled off nine consecutive points to claim their first lead of the game at 42-41 with under four minutes on the clock. Schutz got the lead back moments later, but Kalamazoo used a pair of free throws to go up 44-43. Caroline Roecker capitalized on a trip to the charity stripe and hit both free throws as the lead continued to waver back-and-forth. Nicole Connolly and Samson each had points to regain the lead for the Belles as neither side was up more than two points during the final four minutes of the period. A late free throw by Samson gave Saint Mary's the narrow 50-48 lead going into the fourth.

 

That trend of tight play continued throughout much of the fourth quarter. Kate Restovich regained the lead for Saint Mary's with two quick free throws, and the freshman again put the Belles ahead with a three-pointer for a 55-53 lead. Kalamazoo drew even twice before using a three-pointer to go up 60-57. Athena Samson had a layup at the other end, and Elle Deardorff sunk yet another three-pointer for a 62-60 Saint Mary's lead. Three consecutive Kalamazoo buckets saw the lead trade hands yet again as the Hornets pushed ahead 66-62 with under three minutes to play. The Belles got a pair of free throws from Annie Restovich to halve the deficit, and Kate Restovich tied things up at 66-66 with 1:43 on the clock. Kalamazoo hit the front end of a trip to the free throw line for a 67-66 advantage less than 20 seconds later. Julia Schutz powered her way to a layup to put the Belles up on their next possession. Schutz had a big block on the next Kalamazoo chance, and Nicole Connolly came away with the defensive rebound. Shutz sunk a free throw to make it a 69-67 score with 34 seconds still to go. The Belles got another stop on the defensive end, and Mary Kate Gareau came away with the defensive board. The Hornets fouled to try to force the Belles' hand, but Elle Deardorff made three of four chances over the next span of play to give the Belles a five-point lead. Julia Schutz added a pair of free throws, and Deardorff tacked on two more from the charity stripe for a 76-67 lead. Kalamazoo added a pair of free throws of their own late, and the Belles ran out the remainder of the clock in the 76-69 final.

 

The Belles got an offensive boost from second-chance opportunities in the game and outscored the Hornets 16-5 on the night off of offensive boards. Saint Mary's also held an 11-5 edge in points off of turnovers and a 14-8 advantage in points from non-starting players.

 

Julia Schutz led all players with 22 points and added 14 rebounds for her first double-double of the season. The junior added a career-high four blocked shots to go along with an assist. Elle Deardorff scored eight of her 15 points in the final quarter and chipped in a pair of rebounds and a blocked shot. Athena Samson had her sixth double-double of the season with 11 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. The senior eclipsed 400 career rebounds with her combined efforts from her time at both Albion and Saint Mary's. Kate Restovich posted nine points while Annie Restovich and Mary Kate Gareau each posted five points. Gareau pulled down a season-best eight rebounds.

 

The Belles (4-9, 1-3 MIAA) are on the road on Saturday when they travel to Alma for a 1:00 p.m. conference contest against the Scots.