Belles Stopped by Scots

Box Score

• Gabby Diamond led Saint Mary's with 11 points and pulled down eight rebounds.
• Kelsey Ronan had a game-high 10 rebounds while posting six points, two assists, and a steal.
• Ally Steve put up nine points, and Erin Maloney had a career-high six steals.

NOTRE DAME, Ind. - The Saint Mary's basketball team lost an 84-41 MIAA contest against Alma on Saturday afternoon at Angela Athletic Facility.

Gabby Diamond and Aspen Davis each gave the Belles a two-point lead early in the contest as Saint Mary's posted quick 2-0 and 5-3 advantages over the visiting Scots. Alma took advantage of a tough-shooting stretch by the Belles as the Scots rattled off an 11-0 run for a 14-5 lead. During that span, the Belles saw quality shots on four consecutive possessions just miss the mark while the Scots scored on five of six possessions to take the lead. Diamond put an end to the run with a layup, and the junior forward added another shot in the paint a short while later to keep Saint Mary's within seven points of Alma at 16-9. Kelsey Ronan hit both ends of a trip to the free throw line with under two minutes remaining in the period to cut the deficit to six points at 18-12. The Scots, however, put seven points on the scoreboard in the final 1:15 of the quarter to claim a 25-12 lead at the first break.

Erin Maloney came up with a quick steal in the second quarter, and Megan Will hit a jump shot in the paint to make it a 25-14 game early in the period. The Belles, however, were unable to connect on another shot until Gabby Diamond hit the front end of a trip to the free throw line with 1:30 remaining before the half. The Scots used that scoring drought to mount a 31-point lead with 20 points for a 45-14 advantage. Saint Mary's closed out the half with six points down the stretch to Alma's four to make it a 49-21 game at the break.

The Belles were held to a seven percent field goal shooting percentage in the third quarter but connected on five of six free throws during the period. The Scots, meanwhile, continued a hot-shooting day by making nearly 47 percent of their shots from the floor to push their lead to 67-29 at the end of the quarter. Saint Mary's held Alma to their lowest scoring quarter of the game (17 points) in the fourth quarter, but the Belles were unable to cut into the deficit while suffering the 84-41 setback.

The Scots outscored the Belles in points off of turnovers (36-14), points in the paint (34-16), and second chance points (18-15).

Gabby Diamond led Saint Mary's with 11 points and pulled down eight rebounds. Kelsey Ronan had a game-high 10 rebounds while posting six points, two assists, and a steal. Ally Steve put up nine points and four rebounds. Erin Maloney had a career-high six steals and added four points and a pair of assists.

The Belles (1-13, 0-6 MIAA) have a break from conference play next Wednesday and return to the hardwood on Saturday, January 14 when they host Hope at 3:00 p.m.