KALAMAZOO - The Kalamazoo College women's basketball team lost its home opener, 74-57, to Bluffton University on Wednesday.
Kalamazoo scored the first six points of the game, but found itself trailing 18-10 midway through the first half. The Hornets battled back, however, and took a 32-27 lead into halftime with three straight three-pointers to end the half, including one by India Hoskins at the buzzer.
The Hornets got off to a slow start in the second half, however, scoring just three points in the first five and a half minutes. Kalamazoo led by as many as six points (44-38), however, with 12:36 remaining, but the shooting went cold as Bluffton climbed back in and took a 47-45 lead with 10:20 left. It was still a four point game (56-52) in favor of Bluffton with 4:41 remaining, but the Beavers made the most of their offensive possessions down the stretch while limiting the Hornets to just five points during the final minutes.
"We played a great first half and really executed the game plan like we wanted to," said Kalamazoo Head Coach Katie Miller. "Unfortunately, we made some bad decisions in the second half and had some defensive breakdowns that we were not able to overcome."
Bluffton shot 43.9 percent overall while limiting Kalamazoo to 30.4 percent, including just 23.1 percent (6-of-26) in the second half. Bluffton held a 46-32 advantage in rebounds, including 16-9 on the offensive end resulting in a 12-2 advantage in second chance points.
Emily Lindsay led Kalamazoo with 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting, including 5-of-10 from three-point range. Lindsay also led the Hornets with four assists and four steals.
"Emily had some really good looks tonight and knocked down some big baskets," Miller said. "She also played a strong game defensively and helped us offensively with four assists."
Morgan Overstreet scored nine points for Kalamazoo while Nicole Antoine finished with seven points, eight rebounds, and three assists. Hannah Maness and India Hopkins each finished with six points while Grace Smith shared the team-high with eight rebounds.
Kalamazoo returns to action on Saturday, Nov. 30 when the Hornets host Oberlin College at 1 p.m.
"We have some extended time before our next game as our students complete the quarter and final exams," Miller said. "We have a number of things to work on and will need to find a way to play more consistently like we did in the first half tonight."