The Scots' 2008-09 Women's basketball team, 3-1 in league play heading into Saturday's contest against first-place St. Mary's College, was hoping to continue its strong recent play on the court. However, the Belles had different ideas, and Alma found itself on the wrong side of a 69-47 decision. The loss dropped the Scots to 4-8 overall, while St. Mary's pace the league at 6-0 in the MIAA and 8-6 on the 2008-09 season.

A slow start plagued the Scots on Saturday.  They never led in the game, as the Belles jumped out to a 12-4 advantage just five minutes into the contest. However, Alma tied the game at 16-16, when G Lauren Hasler (Jr., Mt. Pleasant, MI/Sacred Heart) hit a three-pointer at the midway point of the half.

The Belles then finished the half on a 23-5 run to go ahead 39-21 as the teams headed to the lockerroom. For the half, the Scots shot 31% from the floor, while St. Mary's finished at 44%. Neither team was efficient from beyond the arc as Alma went two for seven, and the Belles were one for seven.

Alma was very competitive in the second half but just could not erase the deficit that faced the team, as the Belles outscored the Scots 30-26 in the final frame. The closest Alma was able to get was at 15 points down, when F Kathryn Bigelow (Jr., Alma, MI/Alma) hit a jumper to make the score 53-38 with 7:39 remaining. St. Mary's closed out the half to claim the 69-47 victory.

For the game, the shooting was comparable for both teams, as Alma finished at 36%, while the Belles were at 37%. Alma finished with four three-pointers versus St. Mary's one, but the Scots were outrebounded by a margin of 49-36. A big factor in the final score was that Alma had 26 turnovers for the game, but the defense did have six blocked shots to just two for the Belles.

The Scots' leading scorer was F Sydney Beckwith (So., Weidman, MI/Beal City), who had ten points, while G Stephanie Bradshaw (So., Livonia, MI/Churchill) added seven points and was one of three players with a team-high five rebounds. Bigelow led the squad with five assists and added five rebounds, while F Meagan Hoblet (Cadillac, MI/Cadillac) had four blocks and five boards.

Alma continues its season on Wednesday evening, when they travel to Adrian College, to take on the Bulldogs in a MIAA tilt scheduled for a 6:00 p.m. start. The next home game for the Scots is January 17, when they host league rival Trine University at 3:00 p.m. in the friendly confines of Cappaert Gymnasium.