Women’s basketball team falls to Saint Mary’s, 67-57

OLIVET, Mich. – A fourth quarter comeback fell short, as the Olivet College women's basketball team dropped a 67-57 decision to Saint Mary's (Ind.) College this evening in a Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) contest at the Cutler Event Center in Olivet.

Final Score: Saint Mary's 67, Olivet 57
Location: Cutler Event Center; Olivet, Mich.
Records: Saint Mary's 6-8 overall, 3-2 MIAA; Olivet 5-8 overall, 1-4 MIAA

• In the first quarter, the Belles led by seven points, 16-9, at the 3:23 mark. The Comets went on a 9-0 run over the last two minutes and 32 seconds of the quarter for an 18-16 lead.
• The teams traded baskets to start the second quarter and create a 20-20 deadlock. A Saint Mary's free throw followed by a three-pointer put the Belles ahead, 23-20, with 6:39 left in the second period. Saint Mary's did not relinquish the lead for the rest of the quarter and held a 30-26 advantage at halftime.
• In the third quarter, the Belles doubled their lead, 39-31, at the 6:27 mark. The Comets fought back with an 8-1 run to trim their deficit down to a single point with 3:12 remaining in the quarter. Saint Mary's scored five of the final six points of the quarter to take a 45-40 lead into the fourth quarter.
• The Belles netted the first eight points of the final quarter to increase their lead to 13 points, 53-40, for their largest lead in the game. An 11-2 Comet scoring spurt closed the gap to four points, 55-51. Four Saint Mary's points, followed by four Olivet free throws kept the margin at four, 59-55, with 1:43 showing on the clock. The Belles went 8-for-8 at the free throw line to seal their win.

• Both teams made 20 total baskets. The difference in the game was Saint Mary's made one more three-pointer, and shot 22-of-27 at the free throw line compared to 13-of-18 for Olivet.
• Junior Tammy Lee scored a team-high 19 points.
• Senior Shawnee Dame joined her in double figures with 11 points.
• Junior Amari Brown and sophomore Fayth Talbert each grabbed five rebounds.

• Giavanna Paradiso led all players with 23 points, including 11-of-15 shooting from the charity stripe, and shared game-high honors with eight rebounds.
• Bella Dugas scored 13 points and pulled down eight rebounds.
• Erin Maloney dished out five assists.

• The Comets host Trine (Ind.) University Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m.