The Baker University women’s basketball team lost its Heart of America Athletic Conference opener to MidAmerica Nazarene University on Tuesday. The 74-68 loss dropped the Wildcats’ overall record to 6-4.

“I think the game against MidAmerica was a really good test to see where we are as a team,” sophomore Macy Wallisch said. “We showed that we have a lot of good things going for us and that we are capable of playing with one of the top teams in our conference. Although we lost by six, we did a lot of good things, such as having less turnovers than MidAmerica as well as having a better shooting percentage.”

Senior BriAnna Garza led the team with 17 points, while fellow senior Shea Shoemaker chipped in 15. Junior Kyrstie Ehm also scored in double digits, with 11 points.

The Wildcats led by as many as 10 points in the first half. However, by halftime, the team trailed MNU 46-39.

“We came out strong and ended strong,” freshman Sydney Buchel said. “It was only the first conference game and after a loss like that we will bounce back hard.”

To prepare for the future, the team plans to focus on rebounding and limiting fouls.

“Overall we are just working toward playing fundamentally sound for all 40 minutes of the game and making the right adjustments when needed,” Wallisch said.

The next game will be at 2 p.m. on Dec. 14 to take on Graceland University in Lamoni, Iowa.