Belles upset Hornets
KATIE MCVOY
The Saint Mary's basketball team found the magic Tuesday, upsetting Kalamazoo College with a 62 - 51 win.
The Hornets came into the game with a 7-3 conference record and a fourth-place ranking in the MIAA. Before last Saturday, the Belles were winless and on an 18-game losing streak
"The confidence from the Olivet win really helped us," freshman starter Kristen Matha said. "We found the magic."
Belles' coach Dave Roeder started the same women as he did on Saturday when the Belles claimed their first victory. Matha, along with sophomore Kelly Jones, sophomore Kelly Robetrs, junior Julie Norman and sophomore Mary Campione led the Belles to a big start early in the game with a 19 - 7 lead.
"Campione and Roberts started off the game with some big 3-pointers," Roeder said. "We never lost the lead."
Matha agreed that this line-up gave the Belles the edge they needed to claim the upset.
"This line-up is really working for us," Matha said. "We started off with that large lead and kept it up to win."
Roeder owes part of the Saint Mary's win to the women's ability to out-rebound Kalamazoo. The Belles finished the game with 41 rebounds. Matha led the team with 10.
"We had the height advantage with our starting line-up," Roeder said. "With that advantage, we out-rebounded Kalamazoo and that was key to the win."
Another key factor to Saint Mary's win on Tuesday was the shooting game. The Belles shot 41 percent from the field, almost 8 percent higher than their average.
"We haven't had the best shooting game," Norman said. "But Tuesday we shot very well and that really made a difference."
Norman led the scoring for the Belles finishing the game with five baskets and three foul shots. Roberts and Campione both had four baskets during the game.
Although the Hornets defense pressed the Belles, Saint Mary's managed to keep control.
"We controlled the tempo," Roeder said. "We ran our offense, ran time off the clock and kept control the entire game."
Norman was also impressed with Saint Mary's ability to play its game and dictate the pace.
"What really strikes me is how well we executed our offense," Norman said. "We ran down the clock and really made the most of our plays. It made a huge difference in the game."
Stouffer, the point guard, helped lead the Belles in the second half against the tough Kalamazoo defense.
"Jamie handled the ball very well during the second half," Norman said. "Kalamazoo has a scrappy defense and Jamie really kept control and that was a big help to the whole team."
All Sports Stories for Thursday, February 3, 2000
