The Alma Women's Basketball team hosted MIAA rival Kalamazoo College on Tuesday evening and dropped a 68-52 decision at Cappaert Gymnasium. The loss dropped the Scots to 2-5 in the league and 3-13 overall, while the Hornets won their first game of the season to improve to 1-6 in the MIAA and 1-12 in 2009-10.
The Scots took a 2-0 lead 45 seconds into the game, when Jr. F Sydney Beckwith (Weidman, MI/Beal City) connected on a jumper, assisted by Sr. G Lauren Hasler (Mt. Pleasant, MI/Sacred Heart). However, when Kalamazoo's Briana Hendrix hit a three-pointer at 17:19, the Hornets had a 5-2 advantage, and a lead they would not lose the rest of the game.
It was a low-scoring affair throughout the first half as the Hornets held just a 15-7 lead with 6:46 remaining in the frame. The game heated up a bit heading into halftime, as Kalamazoo walked off the court leading by a mark of 26-16. The first half was marked by a milestone for the Hornets' Sr. F Nyemade Cooper, when she hit two free throws with 1:39 remaining. The two shots made her the tenth player in school history to record 1,000 career points.
Alma came out determined in the second half to make a game of it and closed the gap to five, at 29-24 Hasler hit a lay-up with 15:55 remaining. However, the Hornets were a resilient bunch, as they outscored the Scots by a margin of 13-2 over the next 5:01, giving them a 42-26 lead.
At that point, Kalamazoo did not allow Alma back in the game as they hit clutch shot after clutch shot to keep the Scots at bay. The Hornets took their biggest lead of the game at 22, when Katrina Carlsen hit a jumper for a 61-39 advantage. Alma didn't quit however, as they cut the lead to 14 at one point, but the margin was just too much, as the Hornets won by the final margin of 68-52.
Beckwith led Alma with 12 points, while Hasler had 10 points and four steals in a losing effort. Sr. F Meagan Hoblet (Cadillac, MI/Cadillac) added nine points, a team-high four blocked shots and shared the club-best in rebounds with seven - shared with Sr. F Kathryn Bigelow (Alma, MI/Alma).
The Scots continue the season on Thursday evening, when they travel to Calvin College to take on the formidable Knights. Tip-off is at 7:30 p.m.
