Saint Mary’s basketball lost a close battle on the road against conference opponent Kalamazoo, 71-60, Wednesday night.
The Belles (1-15, 1-6 MIAA) fell to the Hornets in a game that was close throughout, yet the Belles were unable to take the lead. Senior guard Kelsey Adamski led Kalamazoo (6-9, 3-4) with 24 points, with two others in double figures. The Belles also had three players in double figures, with senior forward Krista Knapke contributing 20 points and eight rebounds. Senior forward Eleni Shea and junior forward Kelsey Ronan chipped in 12 and 10 points, respectively, while freshman guard Erin Maloney added another six points in 23 minutes off the bench for the Belles.
As a team, Saint Mary’s stayed close throughout the game behind their strong rebounding and points in the paint, performing better in both areas than their opponents. The game was closest late in the third quarter, when the Belles managed to cut the Hornets’ lead to five with 5:25 left in the quarter.
However, the Belles were unable to draw even and Kalamazoo closed the quarter on a 14-4 run to take a 59-45 lead into the fourth quarter.
The Belles return home to face Albion for the first contest of a three-game home stand Wednesday at Angela Athletic Facility.
