Scoring Woes Hold Belles Back Against Big Blue
Saint Mary's Stories
- Gabby Diamond led Saint Mary's with 11 points, and Kelsey Ronan posted 10 points and seven rebounds.
- Megan Will and Olivia Lathers each scored six points.
- Saint Mary's outscored Millikin 25-22 in the fourth quarter while committing zero turnovers in the period.
DECATUR, Ill. - The Belles outscored the Big Blue 25-22 over the final 10 minutes of action, but the Saint Mary's basketball team could not overcome a tough shooting day from the floor in an 84-44 loss against Millikin on Friday afternoon.
The host Big Blue put the first nine points on the scoreboard before Gabby Diamond hit a jump shot to make it 9-2 with under seven minutes left on the clock. Olivia Lathers and Kelsey Ronan added a layup each in response to baskets by Millikin to keep the Belles within striking distance at 13-6. Ronan added another layup a minute and a half later, but the Big Blue extended their lead with six consecutive points before Erin Maloney hit a jump shot in the closing seconds to make it a 21-10 game at the first quarter break.
The second quarter, however, saw the Belles hit under eight percent of their shot attempts from the floor while the Big Blue made 45 percent of their shots during the same period. Those shooting percentages translated into a 24-2 scoring advantage for Millikin during the second quarter as the Big Blue carried a 45-12 lead at the half. The Belles came out of the halftime break and held the Big Blue to their lowest scoring quarter of the game, but Saint Mary's was unable to cut into the deficit as Millikin extended their advantage to 43 points with a 62-19 lead through three periods.
Saint Mary's hit 50 percent of their shots over the final ten minutes of action while outscoring Millikin 25-22. Seven different players - Kelsey Ronan, Gabby Diamond, Megan Will, Caroline Macius, Ally Steve, Olivia Lathers, and Delaney Rohlman - each scored at least two points. Moreover, the Belles did not commit a turnover during the final period of play.
For the contest, Millikin hit 50.8 percent (30-of-39) of their shots while Saint Mary's connected on 31.6 percent (18-of-57) of their shots from the floor. Both teams scored 26 points in the paint, but the Big Blue had a +15 scoring margin in points off of turnovers in the game.
Gabby Diamond led Saint Mary's with 11 points, and Kelsey Ronan posted 10 points and seven rebounds. Megan Will and Olivia Lathers each scored six points while Caroline Macius chipped in four points.
The Belles (1-11) return to MIAA competition on Wednesday, January 4 when they travel to Kalamazoo for a 7:30 p.m. contest against the Hornets.