SMC Basketball: Belles season ends after 77-50 first-round loss at Hope
BY HEATHER VAN HOEGARDEN
Sports Writer
Saint Mary's couldn't overcome a 24-point halftime deficit and ended its season with a 77-50 loss to Hope in the first round of the MIAA tournament.
For the Flying Dutch, Bria Ebels scored 18 points in only 14 minutes of action. Amanda Kerkstra, the MIAA Player of the Week, added 12 points along with four assists and was the second of three Hope players to score double digits.
Meanwhile, the Belles were led once again by senior Shaun Russell, who scored in double digits for the third time in as many games, as she finished with 11 points. Maureen Bush also scored 11 points.
However, the efforts of these two players were not enough for the Belles to overcome poor shooting that included going 2-for-20 from beyond the arc. Saint Mary's finished shooting 29 percent from the field for the game.
Hope, on the other hand, shot 51 percent from the field, and was 5-for-11 in 3-point shots. However, the Flying Dutch only outscored the Belles 33-30 in the second half.
Though the Belles were the obvious underdog in the matchup with the No. 2 team in the country, the loss was still disappointing, as another season came to a close on Tuesday night.
"Hope is such a good team," coach Suzanne Bellina said. "We made a very good effort, and we did some good things in the game."
Another positive for the Belles was sophomore forward Emily Creachbaum, who scored 10 points while grabbing six rebounds. Despite only shooting 4-for-17 Tuesday, Creachbaum has been a bright spot for Saint Mary's all season, as she has been their most consistent performer.
"Our posts played extremely well," Bellina said. "We did a good job of getting the ball inside, and we were much more aggressive."
Sophomore Katie Boyce added seven points for the Belles, while senior Kristen Matha scored four points with seven rebounds.
Saint Mary's ends their season with a record of 6-20 overall and 2-13 in the conference. The Belles only lose two seniors to graduation and had one junior on the team this season.
All Sports Stories for Wednesday, February 26, 2003
