Alison Kessler rebounded from a slow start during Wednesday's game against Kalamazoo, scoring a school-record 41 points in the Belles' 72-69 win.
The Saint Mary's senior guard missed her first two shots and had a turnover early in the first half. She didn't get on the board until five and a half minutes had gone by.
Once she started, though, Kessler never stopped.
The Belles edged Kalamazoo for their third conference win of the season. Kessler, the only Belle to score in double figures, shot 14-27 from the field and pulled down nine rebounds in the win.
Despite Kessler's stellar performance, the Hornets (4-10, 1-5 MIAA) went shot-for-shot with the Belles for the first half, always staying within at least six points.
After the break, Kalamazoo took a 42-41 lead at the 16:41 mark, and stretched that lead to 12 with 7:48 left in the game. But Saint Mary's took a 70-69 lead after a layup by Kessler with 34 seconds remaining.
Twenty seconds later, Kessler iced the game and scored her 40th and 41st points with two free-throws.
Sophomore Anna Kammrath was the Belles' second leading scorer with eight and junior forward Erin Newsom chipped in eleven rebounds.
Kalamazoo senior guards Kelsea Howell and Therese Demres led the Hornets, scoring 22 and 19 points, respectively.
With the win, the Belles reached .500 both in the MIAA (3-3) and overall (7-7).
The team hopes to continue its success Saturday at home against Tri-State. The contest with the Thunder will be the second home game for the Belles this season, and the first since Dec. 5 when the Belles lost to Calvin.
