SMC Basketball: Belles fall to Chicago in final round of Roundball Classic
By HEATHER VAN HOEGARDEN and TREY WILLIAMS
Saint Mary's (2-3) was confident in their abilities, and emotions were running high coming into Saturday's championship game following a 50-38 trouncing of Rose Hulman (1-4) on Friday night. Leading the domination of the Engineers was senior standout Shaun Russell, (eight points, five assists, two steals, four rebounds), and sophomore Emily Creachbaum (14 points).
Said Russell, the only senior on the team, "We are so excited to be in the championship game. We haven't won this tournament in a long time, and we have a great chance this year."
However, despite Russell's wishes, the Belles couldn't get it done in the championship of the Saint Mary's Roundball Classic, as they were defeated by a quick University of Chicago team.
Saint Mary's put forth a valiant effort against the University of Chicago (2-3), but were unable to finish the job, losing 68-65 in overtime, after early domination by the Maroons. The Belles struggled early in the first half, going scoreless for nearly seven minutes. With ten minutes left in the first half, the Maroons had a commanding 18-4 lead.
St. Mary's ball handling was ripped to shreds by a relentless Chicago defense led by guards Jaime Bleck and Paula Lepka. Bleck dominated the boards, with four first half rebounds, while Tournament MVP Lepka had 14 first half points, finishing with 21 for the game, to go with 11 rebounds.
"Chicago had excellent coverage," said Saint Mary's head coach Suzanne Bellina of their opponents' swarming defense. "We just tried to get between them and the ball and I think the girls gave it their best shot."
However, the Belles managed to turn the game around late the first half, largely due to the play of All-Tournament forward Emily Creachbaum. Creachbaum was 9 for 15 in shooting and 5 for 8 from the line, leading the team in points and rebounds, with 25 and eight, respectively.
In spite of the slow start, the Belles ended the half with a 41-32 lead, but ran into trouble again late in the second half, as the Maroons turned on the heat and tied the game at 61 to send the contest to overtime.
Overtime dragged on, as the game became foul-plagued, and Chicago gained the upper hand, pulling away with a 68-65 victory, destroying the Belles' hope of their first tournament championship since 1992.
"There's really nowhere to put the blame," said Bellina. "Both teams played their own game."
Saint Mary's looks to rebound against Goshen College Wednesday at 7 p.m. at home.
All Sports Stories for Monday, December 9, 2002
