Belles fight back but season ends in Michigan as Bulldogs win 62-54
By JOE HETTLER
Sports Writer
ADRIAN, Mich.
The No. 6 Saint Mary's basketball team has battled all season long, and Tuesday's MIAA first-round game versus No. 3 Adrian College was no exception.
The Belles' effort was not quite enough to pull off an upset.
Sarah Vincke had 17 points on six-for-10 shooting, and Kim Hill added 12 points off the bench, as Adrian defeated Saint Mary's 62-54. The loss eliminated the Belles from the post-season tournament.
"They do have a lot of fight in them," said Belles head coach Suzanne Smith. "They definitely want to win and they're getting to learn what it takes to win and beat these teams and win these big games."
Adrian grabbed an early 16-6 lead almost solely on the shooting of Vincke, who had nine points and two 3-pointers in the first few minutes of the game.
"I didn't think she had played as well the two other times we had played [Adrian] this season, but I knew from last year that she was a great player that could hit some big shots," said Smith. "I think we fell asleep on her and she got open."
The Belles fought back to cut the Bulldogs' lead to 31-28 at halftime, despite shooting only seven-for-26 from the field.
At halftime Smith just felt happy to still be within striking distance of Adrian. The coach knew they had a good chance of making a second-half comeback.
"We were just happy with where we were at because we hadn't played our best," said Smith. "To be only three down at halftime, we were very positive with what we could do in the second half. If we could just get those shots to fall and focus a little bit better and get a stronger mentality in the second half, we really thought we could come back and win."
The Belles cut the lead to 31-30 with 18:37 left in the game, but could not take the lead, thanks again to Vincke, who drilled 3-pointers on back-to-back Adrian possessions, helping extend the Bulldogs lead to 39-31.
The Belles pulled as close as five points with 13 minutes to go in the game, but could never overtake Adrian.
For Saint Mary's seniors Elizabeth Linkous, Anne Blair and Jamie Dineen, the loss signifies the end of their careers as collegiate basketball players. Each will be missed immensely next season when the Belles take the court again.
"I can't even imagine how we are going to replace [Blair] as a leader," said Smith. "[Linkous] may not have the greatest physical abilities, [she may] not [be] the most talented athlete out there, but she works her butt off and she's very competitive. With Jamie, I'll miss that shooting of hers. She's got such a beautiful touch on her shot."
Despite the loss of the seniors, the Belles seem to have a very bright future ahead of them, with six freshmen and one sophomore — as well as three juniors — returning for next season's club.
"I think we have a great opportunity [to be successful]," said Smith. "These seniors have really laid the groundwork for this program to take off next year. It's going to depend on what they do in the off-season."
All Sports Stories for Wednesday, February 20, 2002
