Four seconds into the game, Calvin College forward Lisa Winkle gave the Knights a 2-0 over Saint Mary’s with a layup. The Knights would lead the entirety of the remaining 39 minutes, 56 seconds of the game.

It was just one of those nights for the Belles.

Despite holding Calvin six points under its season scoring average on its Grand Rapids, Mich., home court, the Belles could not come away with the big win the team desperately wanted, losing to the Knights 62-46.

The Belles held Calvin to 27 fewer points than the Knights scored Saturday against Tri-State, but the Saint Mary’s offense could not find its rhythm at any point during the game to take advantage of a decent defensive performance.

Saint Mary’s shot an anemic 26.9 percent from the floor in the first half, scoring only 18 points on seven field goals.

The Belles posted a more respectable 28 points in the second half, thanks largely to excellent free-throw shooting. A 14-for-16 outing from the charity stripe in the second half helped hide the Belles’ 25.0-percent second-half shooting, and it obscured that the team made less than 26 percent of its field goals on the night.

Saint Mary’s entered the game averaging 64.8 points per game, but the Knights stymied the three-guard offense, keeping all but Bridget Lipke, who scored 12, to single-digits.

The Belles’ inside powerhouse, Emily Creachbaum, only managed eight points, well off her 13.4 season average.

A telling sign for the Belles offensive woes was the turnover-to-assist ratio. The Belles committed nearly four times as many times turnovers – 19 – as the team had assists – five.

For their part, the Knights stepped up on the defensive front to counter an improving Belles offense.

Guard Kristen McDonald had five steals to go along with her 11 assists, and Lisa Winkle blocked four Belles shots.

Sarah Winkle led Calvin in scoring with 12 points off the bench. Lisa Winkle finished the night with 10.

The 46 points represented the second-lowest offensive output for Saint Mary’s since its first game of the season.

The Belles play next against Hope College Saturday at 3 p.m. at the Angela Athletic Center.