Alma's 2008-09 Women's Basketball team continued MIAA play on Wednesday evening when they hosted perennial power Hope College at Cappaert Gymnasium. The Flying Dutch got the best of Alma on this night and came away with a 79-42 victory, dropping the Scots to 3-6 in league play and 5-12 overall.
In a game the road team led from start to finish, Hope had 13 different players score, including three that hit double-figures. The Dutch jumped out to a 4-0 lead early and extended it to 10-2 five minutes into the game. After Alma scored a bucket on its next possession, Hope scored nine consecutive in the next two minutes for a 19-4 advantage.

Hope achieved its biggest lead at 22 points with 6:28 remaining in the first half and closed out the first frame with a 42-22 advantage. Alma shot 44% from the field in the half, but Hope had 12 offensive rebounds and took 12 more shots than the Scots, making 51% of them.

To start the second half, Alma Jr. G Lauren Hasler (Mt. Pleasant, MI/Sacred Heart) hit a three-pointer that cut the deficit to 17 but that was the closest the Scots would be able to come as the Dutch played a solid second half and took care of business. Hope outscored Alma by a margin of 37-20 in the final frame and walked away from Cappaert Gymnasium with the 79-42 triumph.

The Scots shot just 33% in the second half, while the Dutch continued their solid shooting, finishing with 47% in the half. Hope was again dominant on the boards, with a 22-14 advantage, including eight more offensive rebounds in the final 20 minutes. The only flaw for Hope in the final frame was the ten turnovers they committed.

Jr. F Meagan Hoblet (Cadillac, MI/Cadillac) finished as the high-scorer for the Scots with 12 points, while Jr. F Kathryn Bigelow (Alma, MI/Alma) had seven points and a team-best six rebounds. Jr. G Lacey Best-Rowden (Lansing, MI/Lansing) had four assists for the Scots, while Fr. C Aubrey Maxa (Saginaw, MI/Swan Valley) had the team's three blocked shots on the defensive end of the court.

Hope finished with a 47-24 rebound advantage, including 20-7 on the offensive glass and defensively, they forced 23 Alma turnovers. The Scots hit on one of 11 from outside the arc and was only able to get to the free throw line three time, making one. Defensively, the Scots did hold Hope to just 3 for 15 in three-point shooting.

Alma next plays on Saturday afternoon when they travel Grand Rapids to take on host Calvin College, beginning at 3:00 p.m. The Scots' next home game is February 4, when they will entertain Kalamazoo College at Cappaert Gymnasium in a 6:00 p.m. tip-off.