Box Score The Hope College men's basketball team pushed nationally ranked host Wooster (Ohio) to the brink on Tuesday before falling 78-75 in the championship game of the Mose Hole/Kiwanis Tournament.
Junior center Brock Benson of Willowbrook, Illinois (Hinsdale South HS), scored a career-high 26 points for the Flying Dutchmen.
Junior guard Ben Gardner of Carmel, Indiana (Carmel HS), also made the all-tournament team. He netted a season-high 21 points.
Hope (6-4 overall) saw its win streak snapped at five games by the 14th-ranked team in NCAA Division III according to d3hoops.com.
The second half featured nine lead changes and six tie scores.
A Benson layup with 2 minutes, 18 seconds remaining gave up its final lead at 73-71.
After a Wooster missed free throw, Hope drove the length of the court, but the 3-point attempt from junior guard Alex Eidson of Grand Haven, Michigan (Grand Haven HS), caromed off the rim.
The Flying Dutchmen overcame an 11-point deficit midway through the first half to pull within four points at halftime (43-39). Benson led Hope with 17 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field and a 7-of-7 effort from the foul line.
The Flying Dutchmen return to action on Saturday, Jan. 3, when they host 10th-ranked Ohio Wesleyan (9-1). Tipoff is 7 p.m. at DeVos Fieldhouse.
