NOTRE DAME, Ind. - Saint Mary's College Basketball fell to ninth-ranked Hope College on Saturday, 82-42. The Belles fall to 4-4 (0-2 MIAA) while the Flying Dutch improve to 7-1 (2-0 MIAA) on the year.
 
While Hope got out to an early eight-point lead, Saint Mary's would storm right back with an 11-2 run to close out the first quarter and head into the first break with a 15-14 lead. After hitting four free throws to start the run, junior Kate Restovich (St. Louis, MO) dropped in a layup before sophomore Kate Passinault (Grand Rapids, MI) swiped the ball away and made a fastbreak layup. The Belles closed out the run as freshman Caroline Langworthy (Cincinnati, OH) nailed a three pointer to give them a one-point lead. 
 
Saint Mary's kept their momentum from the first quarter rolling into the second. They saw their lead grow to as high as seven points after back-to-back three pointers from junior Annie Restovich (St. Louis, MO). Hope bounced right back after the three points and took the lead for their own and didn't look back before closing out the half with back-to-back three pointers of their own to head into the locker room with a 33-26 lead. Annie Restovich led the team with 11 points in the half while Kate Restovich added six.
 
The Flying Dutch took control of the second half and never turned away as they saw their lead continue to grow throughout the third and fourth quarters. Offense and defense stepped up for Hope as they shot 58% from the field while holding the Belles to shooting just 21% as they closed out their second conference win, 82-42.
 
Annie Restovich led the team with 17 points while going 4-8 from three point and a perfect 3-3 from the free throw line. Kate Restovich added eight points while Passinault added six. Sophomore Ella Andree (Spring Lake, MI) added a career high six points after knocking down two three pointers.
 
Freshman Liv Fry (Fort Wayne, IN) led the team with a career high nine rebounds while Passinault and sophomore Ella Notaro (Crystal Lake, IL) grabbed five.
 
UP NEXT FOR THE BELLES
Saint Mary's hits the road for back-to-back games as they travel to Adrian College on Wednesday, December 10, for a 7pm tipoff. The Belles then kickoff their last three non-conference matchups as they head to St. Louis, MO to take on Webster University on December 13. They close out the 2025 calendar year with back-to-back home games against Elmhurst University, December 20, and Earlham College, December 30.