SAN ANTONIO, Texas – The Angelo State Belles defeated St. Mary's for their first conference win of the season, defeating the Rattlers, 59-47, in the first of a two-game series.
 
St. Mary's would quickly jump to a 4-0 lead over the Belles with two made free throws and a layup, but a layup from Madeline Stephens and a jumper from Sawyer Lloyd quickly tied the game up at four. A three pointer from Jade Mbam would give the Belles their first lead of the night over the Rattlers, bringing the score to 7-6 over St. Mary's. A free throw from Stephens, a jumper from Lana Marov in the paint, and a three pointer from Sadie Misner brought Angelo States lead to four to end the first quarter, 13-9.
 
Lloyd would start the second quarter off for the Belles with a jumper from inside the paint to bring the Belles lead to six over the Rattlers, 15-9. St Mary's would respond quickly though, sinking two free throws off of a drawn foul to cut the Belles lead down to four, 15-11. Two three pointers from Misner and Lloyd brought Angelo States lead to eight over the Rattlers with around seven minutes left in the first half, 21-13.
 
A layup and a made jumper from the Rattlers brought the Belles down to four once again, but a jumper from Lloyd would extend the lead back to six, 23-17. Neither team would score again for two minutes, until the Rattlers would sink two free throws to cut into Angelo States lead again, 23-19.
 
A jump shot from Aleesha Orange, a layup from Marov, and a fastbreak layup from Lloyd off a steal would end the half in favor of the Belles to bring their lead to nine over St. Mary's, 30-21.
 
Angelo State would begin the second half quickly, sinking two three pointers made by Misner and Marov to bring the Belles to a 15-point lead over the Rattlers, 36-21. St. Mary's would sink two free throws to cut into the Belles lead, but a jumper and a three pointer from Madisen Honea extended the Blue and Golds lead further to 18, 41-23. Neither team would score again for two minutes again, until a free throw and a layup from the Rattlers Hannah Wilson cut into Angelo States lead, 41-26.
 
A jump shot from Lloyd and a made free throw from Misner ended the third quarter for the Belles, bringing the Blue and Golds lead to 14 over the Rattlers, 44-30.
 
St. Mary's would find their second wind at the start of the fourth quarter, keeping the Belles from scoring for a minute and a half, while cutting into the Belles lead with several jump shots and a free throw to bring the Belles lead down to eight, 44-36. Angelo State would quickly respond to the Rattlers sudden offense, scoring 12 unanswered points to bring their lead to 20 over the Rattlers, 56-36.
 
A made free throw and a made jumper from Misner would keep the Belles lead in the double digits at 18, but the Rattlers would keep the Belles from scoring for the last three minutes of the game, cutting the Belles lead down to 12 points before time would run out, Angelo State standing victorious in their first win of the season.
 
Lloyd finished the game with 18 points, leading the Belles offensively against the Rattlers, shooting 8-12 from the field and 2-3 from beyond the three-point line. Lloyd grabbed eight rebounds against St. Mary's, two offensive and six defensive, while registering five assists and five steals.
 
Marov followed behind Lloyd offensively, making 13 points for the Belles, shooting 5-12 from the field and 3-8 from the three-point line, grabbing a double-double against the Rattlers. Marov led the Belles defensively, grabbing 10 rebounds, three on offense and seven on defense.
 
Misner continues to be a force on offense for the Belles, making 12 points for Angelo State, shooting 4-6 from the field, shooting perfect from beyond the three-point line and making 3-3, and shooting 1-2 from the free throw line. Misner registered two assists to end the night.
 
Up Next:
The Belles return to the Bill Greehey Arena to play the second match of the series against the Rattlers. Game time begins at 3 p.m.