The Hope College men's basketball team faces a familiar foe in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Tournament tonight.
The Flying Dutchmen (17-8) face meeting Trine (17-8) for the third consecutive time in the semifinals. Tipoff is 7:30 p.m. in Angola, Indiana.
The winner advances to Saturday's 7:30 p.m. championship game against either Calvin or Alma at the site of the highest remaining seed. The MIAA Tournament champion earns the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament.
Photo of Brock Benson by Monica Dwyer
GAME NOTES
Hope has won the past two postseason meetings against Trine — both at DeVos Fieldhouse — by scores of 65-62 in overtime last season and 76-63 in 2013. Hope is 3-0 against Trine all-time in the MIAA Tournament, also winning a 2010 quarterfinal by a 66-61 margin at DeVos Fieldhouse.
Tonight's winner will advance to play Calvin or Alma at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the site of the highest remaining seed. Saturday's winner receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament.
The Flying Dutchmen own a 41-11 record in MIAA Tournament play since its 1992 debut, including a 4-2 mark since the current four-team tournament started in 2012. Hope is seeking its 16th title game appearance and 10th in a row.
Trine is 1-10 all-time in the MIAA Tournament since its first appearance as a league member in 2005. This is the Thunder's first home playoff game since a 75-68 first-round loss to Adrian in 2008. Trine is winless in four semifinal appearances.
The Flying Dutchmen lost at Trine 65-62 on Wednesday, January 7 in the MIAA opener despite a then career-high 22 points from sophomore forward Harrison Blackledge. It was Hope's first loss to the Thunder since Trine became an MIAA member for the 2004-05 school year — a span of 25 games. Hope leads the all-time series 29-3.
Hope avenged the loss with a 73-63 overtime win on January 31 at DeVos Fieldhouse. The Flying Dutchmen outscored Trine by a 16-6 margin during
overtime. Harrison Blackledge scored a career-high 27.
Hope coach Greg Mitchell will make his MIAA Tournament debut tonight. The postseason format was not around during his playing career with the Flying Dutchmen that ended in 1989. Mitchell played on two MIAA championship teams.
Seven of the MIAA's top 20 scorers will be on the court tonight. Junior center Brock Benson leads Hope at 12.8 points per game, which is good for seventh in the league. He is followed by Harrison Blackledge (8th, 12.7), junior guard Ben Gardner (12th, 11.6) and Alex Eidson (T-14th, 10.7). Trine's Will Dixon is second in the MIAA at 17.7 points per game. Teammates Jared Holmquist is third at 16.4, while Tyler Good is ninth at 12.6.
Two of NCAA Division III's top four free-throw shooting teams are squaring off. Trine is second in the nation and tops in the league at 82.0 percent, while Hope is fourth in Division III and second in the MIAA at 79.2 percent. Three Hope players and two from Trine are among the MIAA's Top 10. The group is led by Trine's Will Dixon (2nd, 88.6) and Alex Eidson (3rd, 88.3).
Brock Benson is tops in field-goal percentage in the MIAA at 64.6 percent (115-178). The school record of 70.3 belongs to Matt Strong (163-232 in 1987-88)
