The Alma College Women's Basketball team opened up the home portion of their MIAA schedule on Saturday afternoon when they hosted Hope College at Art Smith Arena. The Flying Dutch got out to an early lead and was able to maintain throughout, ultimately winning 72-53.

The loss gave the Scots a 2-4 overall record and 0-2 in the MIAA, while the Flying Dutch improved to 5-1 in 2014-15 and 2-0 in the league.

The Scots never led in the first 20 minutes but it was a competitive affair from the beginning. After Alma tied it at 4-4 early, Hope went on a 7-0 run but the home team did not get discouraged.

At one point, the Scots trailed 19-10. But, Alma cut the deficit to 19-15 on a three-point basket by So. G Tara Padgett (Freeland/Freeland) at the 7:51 mark.

The Flying Dutch scored the next six points and their lead stayed at 8-10 points for the remainder of the half. A little mini-run towards the end of the frame gave Hope their biggest advantage of the half, at 38-26.

The Scots held Hope to just 40% shooting in the first 20 minutes but 19 turnovers affected the flow of tha Alma offense and the Flying Dutch took advantage of the miscues. Padgett led the way for the home team with nine points in the half.

Hope acted quickly in the second half by outscoring the Scots 11-2 to gain a 49-28 with 16:01 remaining in the game. The Scots whittled the deficit down to 13 at the 13:50 mark when Padgett hit another three-pointer.

Alma could not cut their deficit to less than 10 the rest of the way but the two teams basically traded baskets until the final buzzer. The Scots cut it to 17 a few times and Hope never led by more than 21 as they cruised to a final victory of 72-53.

Padgett led all Alma scorers with 21, while Jr. F Raeanna Zink (Birch Run/Birch Run) was next with nine. The leading rebounder for the Scots was Fr. G Lauren Higgins (Sterling Heights/Cardinal Mooney Catholic) with eight. The assist leader was Sr. G Mallory Pruett (Ishpeming/Ishpeming), who totaled six in the loss.

Up next for Alma is a date with Albion College on Saturday, December 13 at Art Smith Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.