SMC BASKETBALL: Belles hope for first series sweep
By JOE LINDSLEY
Sports Writer
After a loss against the top-ranked team in the conference, the Saint Mary's basketball team will take on the last-place team in the MIAA standings this weekend.
Saint Mary's (7-15, 3-8 MIAA), coming off a 74-64 loss at Hope College, plays Olivet (7-13, 2-9 MIAA) on Saturday at 3 p.m.
The Belles defeated the Olivet Comets 73-58 on Jan. 16, but they have yet to beat the same team twice.
Instead of depressing the team, though, this fact is another reason why the Belles are committed to winning on Saturday.
"We're expecting [Olivet] to come out ready to play on Saturday just because we beat them earlier in the season," said freshman Katie Boyce. "When you get beat by somebody, you're always more likely to come out with intensity and more likely to want to get revenge the next time you play them."
This time, the game will be played at Olivet's home court, and Saint Mary's has struggled on the road this season. The Belles have yet to achieve a conference victory at an opponent's arena.
Olivet, with four conference losses at home and five on the road, does not seem to limit its losses to those games played on the road. The Comets' only conference victories so far were won by narrow margins over Alma and Albion, both teams which Saint Mary's has defeated.
The Belles are still riding on a surge that first began to swell last Saturday as they narrowly lost to Calvin College, 52-51. Then, on Sunday, the Belles defeated conference rival Alma 50-43, a huge emotional win for the team.
The Belles were hoping to defeat Hope on Wednesday night, but despite the loss, they were pleased with their strong performance and ability to keep up with the MIAA's top-ranked team.
"The second half of this season we're coming out with a lot of intensity every game," Boyce said.
Statistically speaking, Saturday's competitors seem to match up closely. The Comets have been shooting 39.1 percent from the floor this season, while the Belles have shot 37.7 percent. Saint Mary's grabs an average of 30.9 rebounds per game, while Olivet is nearby with an average of 31.0.
With three games left in the regular season and cognizant of the importance of each victory, the Belles seem to be full of confidence and ready for another victory though.
"We'd really like to get two wins against Olivet," Boyce said.
All Sports Stories for Friday, February 8, 2002
