Belles Hold Off Sea Lion Rally for Ninth Win of Season

SAN DIEGO, Calif. - The Saint Mary's basketball team held off a rally by host Point Loma Nazarene to take a 57-51 victory in the Belles' final game of the Surf 'N Slam Tournament.

The Belles were able to build a 15 point lead in the first after turning a 9-6 deficit into a 26-11 advantage with 3:42 to go before halftime. At the break, Saint Mary's held a 31-20 lead over the Sea Lions.

After the Belles scored the first basket of the second half, Point Loma Nazarene was able to chip away at the Saint Mary's lead. Sea Lions went on a 17-4 run to tie the game 37-37 with 12:21 to go in the second half. With a few made free throws, the Belles regained the lead for good and held on to win 57-51.

Free throws once again were key for the Belles. Saint Mary's was 16-of-21 (76.2%) from the line while holding Point Loma Nazarene to just a 4-of-4 day from the free throw line as the Belles committed just seven fouls in the entire contest.

Kelley Murphy had her second consecutive double-double with a 19 point, 16 rebound performance on Thursday. Patsy Mahoney was 5-for-5 from the line while scoring 17 points for her seventh straight game with at least 14 points. Mahoney also added five assists and three steals in the win. Liz Wade, meanwhile, had a season-high seven assists with two steals for the Belles on Thursday.

The Belles will be back in action on January 5 when they travel to Hope College for an MIAA contest against the #2 (USA Today/ESPN Division III Coaches' Poll) Flying Dutch at 5:30 p.m.