On Tuesday afternoon, the Alma Women's basketball team finished play in the Wittenberg University Charles B. Zimmerman Holiday Classic in Springfield, OH, and came away with a 59-48 victory over Mount St. Joseph in the consolation game. The win improves the Scots to 2-7 on the 2008-09 season, with the team resuming MIAA league play on Saturday, January 3, against rival Calvin College. The game, at Cappaert Gymnasium in Alma, will begin at 3:00 p.m.
Against Mount St. Joseph, Alma controlled both halves, leading 29-23 after the first and outscoring the Lions 30-25 in the final frame. After a tough shooting performance in the first round loss to Wisconsin-Oshkosh, the Scots rebounded by shooting 43% for the game, including 57% from beyond the three-point line (4-7).

Additionally, after only going one-for-two from the free throw line on Monday, Alma got to the charity stripe 17 times against Mount St. Joseph on Tuesday, making 11 of those attempts.

Defensively, the Scots forced 23 Lions turnovers on the afternoon, and clamped down on MSJ in the second half when Alma needed to hold on to the lead and secure the victory. Mount St. Joseph fell to 2-7 on the season with the loss.

Alma was led in scoring by C Aubrey Maxa (Fr., Saginaw, MI/Swan Valley) and G Heather Keenan (Sr., Charlotte, MI/Charlotte), who each had 10 points in the win. G Lacey Best-Rowden (Jr., Lansing, MI/Waverly) contributed nine points, while F Sydney Beckwith (So., Weidman, MI/Beal City) led the Scots with six rebounds and also added six points. Best-Rowden came away with five assists, while F Kathryn Bigelow (Jr., Alma, MI/Alma) had five rebounds and three assists.

The game saw nine lead changes through the first 12 minutes of the game, but Alma took an 18-17 lead with 7:41 remaining in the first half and never looked back. Mount St. Joseph hung tough in the second half and cut the Scots lead to 40-39 with 9:07 left in the contest. However,  Alma was able to gain control and go on a 16-1 run to pull away from the Lions and took its biggest lead of 16 points when G Stephanie Bradshaw (Jr., Livonia, MI/Churchill) hit a jumper with 1:19 left to make the score 56-40.