Last night Saint Mary’s basketball dropped their third consecutive game, falling 88-44 on the road to Albion.
Sophomore forward Julia Schutz and senior guard Maddie Rzepka paced the Belles, combining for over half of the team's points with 13 and 10, respectively. Schutz also led the squad in assists with three and finished second on the team in rebounds with five. Junior forward Athena Samson led the way on the boards for Saint Mary’s, grabbing ten rebounds in the loss.
A balanced scoring effort paved the way for the Britons to take home the victory. Four of Albion’s five starters chipped in with nine or more points. In total, 12 different players managed to get on the scoresheet for the Britons. Albion also received three different eight-plus point performances off the bench.
The backcourt combination of Lolo Reed and Riley Davis did the most damage for Albion, with both recording a team-high 12 points. Elena Welker and Cierra Cole served as the primary creative forces for the Britons, each dishing a game-high five assists. The Belles had no answer for Albion center Daniah Beavers down low, with Beavers pulling down a game-high 12 rebounds. Beavers currently stands third in the MIAA for rebounds per game with 10.2.
The loss drops Saint Mary’s to 3-4 and 0-1 in conference play on the year. But a stretch of three games over the next week looms as a major chance for the Belles to get their season back on track. That stretch includes a game against Adrian and Calvin, both of which are currently tied with Saint Marys at the bottom of conference standings with a 0-1 record. The Belles will also play a “road” game when they take on Holy Cross in South Bend.
Expect the Belles to continue to lean on the trio of Schutz, Rzepka and Samson as they look for their first conference win. The trio are all averaging double digits in points per game. Samson and Schutz have also both proved to be indispensable on the boards. Both rank among the conference’s top-five in rebounds per game.
Saint Mary’s basketball will be back in action this weekend on Saturday at home against Adrian College. The Bulldogs are 3-3 overall on the season, but are 0-1 in conference play. The game will tip off at 3 p.m.
