Foul line shooting allows Bluejays to coast over Belles
By MOLLY McVOY
Saint Mary's Sports Editor
"If only, if only . . ." were the words echoing through the minds of Saint Mary's basketball players on Saturday afternoon after a heartbreaking loss to Elmhurst College, 70-66.
The Belles repeatedly rallied to keep themselves in the game, but in the end, it was 17 missed free throw shots that gave the game to the Bluejays.
"If we make the free throws, we win today," head coach Dave Roeder said.
Saint Mary's was behind by more than eight points 10 different times throughout the course of game. Elmhurst led by as much as 14 points at one time. But the Belles brought it within three near the end of the game.
Saint Mary's would have won the game if it had made its foul shots in the final moments. The Belles missed eight points on the line with less than three minutes left.
The Belles played with heart, but were out-rebounded and out-shot by Elmhurst.
Saint Mary's shot only 36 percent from the floor and 35 percent from the free throw line.
"We'll get better," Roeder said after the game. "We want to start shooting a better percentage from the floor."
Saint Mary's would not let this keep them out of the contest, however. Three times the Belles came back from a deficit of more than eight points to bring the score within three.
Sophomore Kelly Jones gave the Belles the spark they needed each time they tried come back against the Bluejays. She led the team with 15 points and five rebounds. Also playing well for Saint Mary's were Anne Blair and Jaime Dineen with 12 and 11 points, respectively.
"We changed our line-up, and got great play from everyone," Roeder said. "Kelly Jones did a great job."
Elmhurst's consistent play proved to be just enough to outlast Saint Mary's comebacks, and they got the win.
The Belles went 0-2 on the weekend with the Saint Mary's Roundball Classic. Saint Mary's played its first game against Marian College on Friday night and were dominated by the Knights.
Dineen and junior Julie Norman were leaders for the Belles, tallying 10 and 13 points for the team, respectively. They lost the game 89-52 as Marian proved to just be too much. Again, rebounding was a problem for Saint Mary's and shooting percentages were not up to the level of the Knights.
The Belles return to the court on Wednesday against Olivet College.
All Sports Stories for Monday, December 6, 1999
