Saint Mary's earned its first conference win Wednesday night with a 66-57 victory over Kalamazoo College.
The Belles (3-5, 1-2 MIAA) came out of the gate fast, compiling a 16-6 lead over the Hornets (0-5, 0-3), before a Kalamazoo run gave the Hornets a 23-18 lead. The Belles then scored 11 unanswered points to take a 29-23 lead into halftime.
In the second half, Saint Mary's continued right where it left off, and with 12:27 remaining in the second half, the Belles extended their lead to 17 points. Similarly to the first half, Kalamazoo did not give in to the double-digit points deficit and cut the Saint Mary's lead to five with 34 seconds remaining. The late push was not enough for the Hornets, though, as they were forced to foul the Belles in order to get the ball back. Saint Mary's converted on four straight free throw attempts to seal the victory.
Saint Mary's and Kalamazoo both shot around 35 percent from the floor, but the difference in scoring came from the Belles having 18 more field goal attempts.
The Belles were led by a pair of freshmen forwards Wednesday night, as Eleni Shea and Krista Knapke were able to provide a post presence and score 13 points each for Saint Mary's. Senior guard Kayla Wolter scored nine points off the bench for the Belles in only 10 minutes of play.
For the Hornets, sophomore guard Querubin Dubois led the way with a career-high 16 points, along with six rebounds and three steals, but it was not enough to come from behind.
The Belles will look to continue their success Saturday at home versus Alma College. The Scots (1-4, 1-1) are coming off a tough 41-point loss to Calvin College. Saint Mary's will work towards establishing a win streak Saturday at the Angela Athletic Facility, with tip-off at 3 p.m.
