Belles edged in second half heart stopper
By TREY WILLIAMS
Sports Writer
Despite the frosty conditions in South Bend, the heat was on in the Angela Athletic Center as Saint Mary's basketball went toe-to-toe with Albion College Wednesday night.
The feud came down to the wire as the Britons nipped the Belles 48-45 in the final moments of the second half.
The Belles (5-17, 1-10 in the MIAA) returned home with full force after a two-game road series, dominating the first half with precision shooting and overpowering defense.
Led by Emily Pernotto's seven points, the Belles took a slim 25-23 halftime lead. Their fortune was the result of an early scoring drive that resulted in an 11-6 lead in only the first five minutes of the game.
"This three-game home series is something we've been waiting for," said coach Suzanne Bellina. "Our ladies came ready to play today and it showed in their intensity."
The Belles' held off a small spurt by the Britons to keep the lead, 18-17, with six minutes remaining in the half.
Both teams flexed their muscles statistically in the first half with Albion shooting 37 percent from the field, while Saint Mary's connected on 43 percent of their shots.
The game hit a critical turning point only a few minutes into the second half as Britons took over on a 3-pointer by guard Jocelyn Zappala, giving them a 30-27 lead which they would never relinquish.
A glimmer of hope shown through for the Belles in only the last minute of the game as one of center Maureen Bush's five assists was answered by a 3-pointer from point guard Katie Boyce with only 42.6 seconds left on the clock.
The pressure intensified as Katie Miller sank a jumper to the echoes of silence that fell upon the nervous Belle audience, bringing Saint Mary's within three at 48-45 with only 1.4 seconds left on the clock.
The Belles took a timeout but were unable to engineer any workable play.
"[The end of the game situations] were the kind of moments we practice for," said Bellina "The girls were ready for the pressure and they handled it just as they should have."
The Belles look forward to their next to games as a chance for redemption and a chance to salvage what's left of their season when they face Calvin College at home this Saturday.
All Sports Stories for Thursday, February 13, 2003
