Belles Fall to Regals in Las Vegas

Box Score

  • Gabby Diamond led all players in the game with 16 points and pulled down seven rebounds.
  • Megan Will added seven points and six rebounds, and Ally Steve posted seven points and five rebounds.
  • Erin Maloney matched her career-high with five steals and blocked a shot while dishing out a pair of assists.

LAS VEGAS, Nev. - The Saint Mary's basketball team suffered a 66-42 setback against California Lutheran on day two of the Las Vegas Hoopla on Wednesday.

Ally Steve opened the game up with a layup off of the tip off before Gabby Diamond and Megan Will had back-to-back buckets to give the Belles a 6-3 lead through the first 3:45 of play. Cal Lutheran responded by rattling off a 10-0 run to go up 13-6 with just over a minute left in the first period as both teams had some trouble getting shots to fall. Erin Maloney hit a jumper on the Belles' next possession to cut the deficit to five points at 13-8. Neither side could capitalize on late possessions in the quarter as the score stood at 13-8 at the first break. During the opening ten minutes, the Belles hit 33.3 percent of their shots while the Regals connected on 25.0 percent from the floor.

Both sides posted better shooting percentages in the second quarter. The Belles were 5-of-11 (45.5 percent) while Cal Lutheran was 8-of-17 (47.1 percent) during the same span of time. The Regals opened the quarter with a 9-1 run, but the Belles quickly cut the deficit in half. Caroline Macius and Gabby Diamond scored on consecutive possessions for Saint Mary's, and Diamond made it a six-point game at 22-16 with a layup after a steal by the Belles. Twelve consecutive points over the next four-plus minutes by Cal Lutheran gave the Regals another double-digit lead at 34-17 with 1:09 left before halftime. Aspen Davis broke up the scoreless spell with a jump shot in the pain in the final minute, but Cal Lutheran hit a three-pointer before the end of the period to take a 37-19 halftime lead.

Cal Lutheran extended their lead to 25 points through the opening 2:30 of the third quarter, but the Belles continued to battle. Steve and Diamond each hit a shot to regain some momentum for Saint Mary's. A short while later, Kelsey Ronan and Diamond hit consecutive buckets for the Belles. Ronan then added a pair of free throws late in the quarter as the Belles posted 12 points in the quarter to the Regals' 13 points.

The teams traded buckets throughout the fourth quarter as the Belles were unable to go on a run to get within striking distance of Cal Lutheran. Gabby Crown and Ally Steve gave Saint Mary's their largest run of the quarter with a jump shot and a three-pointer, respectively. The Belles, however, ran out of time despite playing evenly with Cal Lutheran throughout the second half of action. The Regals made just three more shots (13) from the floor during the third and fourth quarters than the Belles (10).

Gabby Diamond led all players in the game with 16 points and pulled down seven rebounds. Megan Will added seven points and six rebounds, and Ally Steve posted seven points and five rebounds. Erin Maloney matched her career-high with five steals and blocked a shot while dishing out a pair of assists.

The Belles (1-10) are back in action on Friday, December 30 when they travel to Millikin for a 1:00 p.m. CST contest against the Big Blue.

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