KALAMAZOO, Mich. - At the Anderson Athletic Center, the Adrian women's basketball team put forth one of the season's best performances defensively en route to a 68-49 victory over the homestanding Hornets.

Under acting head coach, Toby Ernst, the Bulldogs forced 17 Kalamazoo turnovers, and never allowed their opposition to shoot better than 40 percent from the floor.

"I thought we did a really good job pressuring the ball," noted Ernst. "We managed to limit their top scorer, and all together play well defensively."

Chelsea Palmer recorded her second consecutive double-double for Adrian, posting a game-high 18 points and 10 rebounds.

"Our chemistry showed today," said Palmer. "We showed a lot of communication on the bench and on the floor, and I think that was key for us."

Despite a quick three-pointer by Kiaya Warner to get the ball rolling, it was Kalamazoo that raced out to an early 8-5 lead.

The 'Dogs swiftly regrouped and pieced together a 6-0 run to restore their lead, eventually resulting in a 16-14 edge after the first quarter.

The Hornets, again came out firing to open the second frame, opening up a 25-20 advantage.

Unphased, the black and gold proceeded to counter with a 10-0 stretch to put themselves in the driver's seat heading into the locker room, capitalized by an Olivia Green three-point play to close out the half.

Then came the difference of the afternoon in the opening stages of the third quarter, in which the visitors held the home side without a basket for the first five minutes of the frame, enabling Adrian to add an additional eight points to its cushion.

From there, the Bulldogs maintained their double-digit lead all the way down to the final buzzer.

Makayla Clement added 11 points for the locals, along with five rebounds, four assists and four steals.

Kiara Wernette and Green each contributed nine points off the bench.

"Today was fun," expressed Ernst. "I found out yesterday about this opportunity and got the rundown from coach Morris, and it turned into a really good day."

Adrian's next task comes at top-ranked Hope College on January 12.