Saint Mary's lost 65-61 at Kalamazoo Wednesday night despite playing one of its best games of the season. A losing streak that started off being the result of sloppy play now has coach Suzanne Bellina searching for answers. "We really did play a pretty darn good game," Bellina said. "We have a solid group of people [playing] well. It's coming together."Katie Boyce played impressively for the Belles, scoring 10 points on 4 of 8 shooting, grabbed five rebounds, dished out four assists and swiped five steals. Despite playing well in recent losses, the Belles still struggle to find a way to win.They played Alma tough on Jan. 17, and tonight was no different in their match up with Kalamazoo. The Belles forced 22 turnovers, 10 of which came off steals created by aggressive play. The only thing concerning Bellina was her team's inability to get to the free-throw line. "The main thing is, we didn't get to the free throw line as much as Kalamazoo," said Bellina. Emily Pernotto led the Belles with 15 points on 6 of 10 from the field. She connected on 60 percent of her three-point attempts, finishing 3 of 5 on the night. Emily Creachbaum had 13 points on 6-of-12 shooting, and added four rebounds for Saint Mary's.With a 4-12 record the Belles still have their heads up going into this weekend. They have nine games remaining on their schedule, and hope to put together a respectable record. Coach Bellina talked about consistency when asked about what her team was taking from Wednesday's loss into the weekend's game against Tri-State. "[Our team needs to] keep playing at the level we are playing at," said Bellina. The Belles are anxious for another opportunity to gain a win and face Tri-State at 3:30 p.m. Saturday."We are ready to get on and get after it," said Bellina.On the other side of the ball, Mary Brown played well for Kalamazoo, with 16 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Kalamazoo moves to 11-6 and 4-3 in the MIAA, and will host Olivet this weekend at 3 p.m.
