SMC Basketball: Belles bitten by Bulldogs' late surge
By TREY WILLIAMS
Sports Writer
As the sports cliché goes: you win some, you lose some.
Every sport has a last place finisher. It's just unfortunate for the Saint Mary's basketball team that they have played this role for longer than any athlete would like.
Hopes of resurgence for the Belles were dashed Saturday afternoon, as they suffered a 65-48 loss to Adrian College, leaving them in their last place MIAA standing for at least a few more days.
The Belles (5-12), tied for last in the MIAA with a 1-5 conference record, had hopes of an upset over the fifth ranked Bulldogs (10-5), but came up short in the second half.
"We came out strong in the first half," said guard Katie Boyce "But we just couldn't keep our rhythm going into the second half."
Pacing right behind the Bulldogs with a 28-27 halftime deficit, the Belles had obviously come ready to play.
However, they hit a wall in the second half, scoring only 28 points to Adrian's 37.
"It's been a constant problem with this team," said Boyce "We either play well in the first half or the second half. One thing that we have to learn is playing 40 minutes of basketball without letting up."
From a statistical point of view, the Belles had a tough game all around. Emily Creachbaum, a usual strength in the Belles' offense, was limited to only 11 points, while freshman Anne Hogan stepped up, tacking on 12.
Meanwhile, the Bulldogs used to their depth to dominate the scoreboard, with four players racking up points in the double digits.
"Coach [Suzanne Bellina] often talks to us about capitalizing on our opponents' mistakes," said Boyce "We weren't able to do that."
There were definitely enough mistakes to capitalize. Adrian scoring leader Sarah Vincke shot a cold 4-of-15 inside and 0-7 from the perimeter.
As a team, the Bulldogs only hit 45 percent of their shots overall, and did not make a single shot from 3-point range.
Saint Mary's will have yet another chance at redemption, as they face third-ranked Alma College at home Wednesday.
All Sports Stories for Monday, January 27, 2003
