The sign of an improving team is how they respond to adversity. On Saturday afternoon, the Alma College Women's Basketball team had a chance to make an early season statement when they took on Penn State-Behrend in the second game of the Wilmington (OH) Tournament.

The Scots, coming off a disappointing loss last night, came out determined from the beginning and cruised to an impressive 80-54 victory. The win improved Alma to 2-1 on the season, while Penn State-Behrend fell to 0-5 in 2014-15.

"Our defensive and offensive execution was outstanding today, especially in the second half," said Scots Head Coach Kris Johnson. "Our bench performed very well in the final half too. I am very pleased at how we came back after yesterday."

For the first time in a few years, the Scots actually had control of this one from the start and never let go of the stranglehold. The Lions scored the first bucket of the contest eight seconds in, but when Sr. G Mallory Pruett (Ishpeming/Ishpeming) put in a lay-up 47 seconds later, Alma never looked back.

Alma's early 3-2 advantage ballooned to 16-4 at the 13:44 mark of the half when Jr. F Raeanna Zink (Birch Run/Frankenmuth) made a lay-up. Penn State-Behrend showed some spunk however and it was just a 36-33 Alma lead with 2:40 remaining in the first frame. But, the Scots outscored the Lions 6-1 to end the half and took a 42-34 advantage into the break.

The second half belonged to the Scots as they outscored Penn State-Behrend by a margin of 38-20 over the final 20 minutes of the contest. It was a methodical but impressive half for Alma and they recorded their biggest lead of the game with eight seconds remaining after a three-pointer by Sr. G Cora Essenmacher (Royal Oak/Royal Oak Shrine). The Lions made one last basket to make the final score 80-54 as Alma earned a split of the two weekend games.

Zink and Pruett led the way for the Scots with 18 points a piece as 13 of Alma's 14 players scored in the victory. Fr. F Abbi Philipson (Hemlock/Hemlock) notched eight points, while Sr. G Grace Wheeler (St. Ignace/LaSalle) contributed seven.

Alma outrebounded Penn State-Behrend by a margin of 42-29 and were led by Pruett and Wheeler, who each had seven. Zink and Sr. G Morgan Henry (Wayland/Wayland Union) had team-highs with three assists and Jr. F Faith Weier (Lake Fenton/Lake Fenton) notched a squad-best three defensive steals.

The Scots shot 50% (27 of 54) on the day, including 59% (10 of 17) from beyond the arc. Defensively, they held the Lions to 36% (18 of 50) shooting, two of 10 (20%) in three-point attempts. One significant stat was Alma's 30 points off the bench to Penn State-Behrend's seven.

Alma's next game is on November 29 at 3:00 p.m. against Concordia University. Tip-off at Art Smith Arena is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.