Ben Gardner

Guard Alex Eidson scored a season-high 25 points, while center Nate VanArendonk netted a career-high 23 to lead the Hope College men's basketball team to a 93-82 win at Alma on Wednesday.

Coach Matt Neil's Flying Dutchmen moved back into a first-place tie in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association while improving to 10-6 overall and 4-1 in league play. Hope is tied atop the MIAA standings with Albion and Calvin.

Click here to see the MIAA men's basketball standings.

Eidson, a sophomore from Grand Haven (Grand Haven HS), came within one point of his career high. He buried a team-high three 3-pointers.

VanArendonk, a senior from Grand Haven (Grand Haven HS), also matched his season-high with a game-high 10 rebounds. It was VanArenkdonk's second double-double of the season.

"The Grand Haven connection really worked well," Hope coach Matt Neil said. "We knew we had a size advantage inside. We tried to go inside and went inside a bunch. All those guys — Nate, Grant (Neil), Brock (Benson), Caleb (Byers) and Harrison (Blackledge) came up big.

"(Alex) stayed within himself, and that was good. He had three 3s. Cody hit one. Grant hit one. Corey (McMahon) hit one. We were 6-of-7 from 3 in the second half, which was great."

Sophomore point guard Ben Gardner of Carmel, Ind. (Carmel HS), chipped in 15 points.

Hope outscored Alma 60-52 during the second half.

"(Alma) tied the score at 36-36 after halftime, and I challenged all of them not to let them go ahead the rest of the way," Matt Neil said. "They didn't. I give the guys a lot of credit for the way they played."