In a tough 77-65 loss on the road, the Belles fell behind early and failed to recover against Alma College.
The Belles (6-17) trailed by nine points at halftime and never closed the gap as Alma (12-10) held strong the entire game.
For the Belles, this marks their eighth consecutive loss in an away game and their fifth loss in six games.
Junior forward Emily Creachbaum led the way for the Belles with 26 points and seven rebounds on 10-of-16 shooting. Guard Bridget Boyce, who received a nomination for MIAA player of the week, also contributed 14 points on 5-of-12 shooting.
The difference in the game for Alma proved to be the strong inside game of forward Karen Hall. In a previous game against the Belles, Hall had 24 points and 10 rebounds. In Saturday's game, Hall was just as dominant with 28 points and 13 rebounds on 8-for-12 shooting.
The Belles only had two players score in double figures, and the bench combined to score just 12 points. The team also shot 5-for-20 from 3-point range and was outrebounded by Alma 33-26.
Both teams only committed 10 turnovers, but Alma had 18 assists to 12 for the Belles.
Free throw shooting helped Alma seal the victory, as the team shot 18-for-22 from the line with Hall going 12-for-13. The Belles shot 10-for-15 at the line.
Four different players scored in double figures for Alma. Guard Katey Peacock had 14 points and forward Michelle Dettling had 13.
Against Alma, the scoring for the Belles was not spread in the least. Creachbaum, Boyce and Katie Boyce combined to score 49 out of 65 total points.
With the loss, the Belles remain in last place in the MIAA and their league record falls to 1-11. Since Olivet lost this weekend to Calvin, the Belles are still only one game back from moving out of last.
The Belles now only have two games left for the year and will return home to play against Kalamazoo Wednesday. The last regular season game for the Belles is a critical matchup on the road against Olivet.
