Belles Sunk by Vikings in Season Opener
Saint Mary's Stories
- Ally Steve led the Belles with nine points and two blocked shots.
- Megan Will added eight points, and Caroline Macius chipped in six points.
- Kelsey Ronan had a game-high seven rebounds.
NOTRE DAME, Ind. - The Saint Mary's basketball team fell 84-38 in their season opener against North Park on Tuesday evening.
The visiting Vikings tallied the opening two buckets of the game for a quick 4-0 lead. Gabby Diamond sunk a jumper in the paint, and Ally Steve drained a three-pointer on the next Belles possession to put Saint Mary's up 5-4. North Park ended a two-minute scoring drought with a three followed by a second-chance jump shot for a 9-5 lead with 5:49 on the clock. Megan Will put the Belles back within a pair at 9-7 with just over four minutes remaining in the first period, but the Vikings closed out the quarter with an 11-2 run to hold a 20-9 lead at the first break.
North Park carried that momentum into the second quarter by scoring on each of their first three possessions to extend the lead to 28-9. Turnovers and tough breaks off the rim on shots plagued the Belles' offense in the second quarter as Saint Mary's trailed North Park 45-19 at the half.
The tough breaks on the offensive end of the floor continued in the third and fourth quarters for the Belles as Saint Mary's converted 20.7 percent of their field goal attempts (6-of-29) during the second 20 minutes of play. North Park, meanwhile, hit 43.3 percent (13-of-30) of their shots from the floor and ten of 12 free throws over the same span to outscore the Belles 39-19 over the final 20 minutes of action.
Ally Steve led the Belles with nine points to go along with a pair of blocked shots. Megan Will added eight points, and Caroline Macius chipped in six points. Erin Maloney and Gabby Diamond each scored five points for the Belles. Kelsey Ronan had a game-high seven rebounds while Diamond led the team with four steals.
The Belles (0-1) are back in action at 7:00 p.m. on Friday when they travel to Manchester for the Manchester University Main View Tipoff Classic.