Saint Mary's extended its record-breaking season last night after defeating Adrian Bulldogs 74-60 in the MIAA tournament's first round at the Angela Athletic Complex.
The win was the 16th of the season for the Belles (16-9, 13-3 MIAA), the most in the history of the school's program.
Saint Mary's never let up after building an early 20-8 lead over the visiting Bulldogs. Senior forward Erin Newsom recorded her seventh double-double of the season, scoring 13 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in the win. Freshman Patsy Mahoney also added 11 points with a trio of 3-pointers.
Saint Mary's, as it has throughout the season, also received a great effort from its bench, outscoring Adrian's bench 34-13. Freshman Kelley Murphy scored a game-high 17 points off the bench.
The next game for the Belles should be a little tougher as they face another 16-9 team in Calvin. Earlier this season, Saint Mary's and Calvin went into an overtime thriller in which the Belles came out on top, 72-68.
For the Belles to be successful again, they will need to play strongly in the paint and on the boards and look for even more productive bench play to take the pressure off of Newsom.
The game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Angela Athletic Complex.
