Slow Start Sets Belles Back Against Flying Dutch
Saint Mary's Stories
- Gabby Diamond had a team-high 13 points while pulling down six rebounds.
- Ally Steve added 12 points and two assists.
- Erin Maloney chipped in nine points, and Kelsey Ronan scored seven points and grabbed six rebounds.
HOLLAND, Mich. - The Saint Mary's basketball team suffered an 81-48 loss against No. 8 ranked Hope on Wednesday night.
The Belles were able to hold the highly-potent Flying Dutch offense at bay for much of the opening period of play. Hope put the first five points on the scoreboard, but Gabby Diamond drained a jumper and Erin Maloney hit the front end of a trip to the charity stripe to make it a 5-3 game two minutes into the contest. Saint Mary's held Hope scoreless for nearly the next two minutes of play, and the Belles trailed 9-3 midway through the quarter. The Flying Dutch, however, went on to put 14 more points on the scoreboard while the Belles could not get a bucket to fall as Hope held a 23-3 advantage through one period of play.
Saint Mary's put a short spurt together in response to Hope during the second quarter while twice cutting the deficit to 23. Ally Steve, Gabby Diamond, and Erin Maloney gave the Belles buckets on three of four possessions in a two-minute span to push the score to 36-13 with 3:54 on the clock. The Flying Dutch regained a 41-14 cushion, but Steve and Diamond combined to put four quick points on the scoreboard to make it a 41-18 game with 1:25 remaining before halftime. Hope hit a jump shot on their next possession, and the Flying Dutch took a 43-18 lead into the break.
The Belles posted their highest scoring quarter of the game in the third period with 16 points, but Saint Mary's was unable to chip away at the deficit as Hope also had their highest scoring quarter of the contest with 26 points. Saint Mary's connected on 40 percent of their shots from the floor in the third quarter with Diamond, Maloney, Steve, and Olivia Lathers each contributing points.
The positive trends continued throughout the second half of play as the Belles outscored the Flying Dutch 14-12 over the final ten minutes of play. Saint Mary's committed just two turnovers during the final quarter while Hope gave the ball away five times.
Saint Mary's committed one less turnover (16) in the game than Hope (17) while both teams pulled down 16 offensive rebounds and blocked four shots on the night. The Belles posted more shots from the floor (69) than the Flying Dutch (67), but Hope connected on better than 53 percent of their attempts to the Belles' 26.1 percent shooting night from the floor.
Gabby Diamond had a team-high 13 points while pulling down six rebounds. Ally Steve added 12 points and two assists. Erin Maloney chipped in nine points, and Kelsey Ronan scored seven points and grabbed six rebounds.
The Belles (2-22, 1-14 MIAA) conclude their season on Saturday when they host Olivet at Angela Athletic Facility beginning at 3:00 p.m.