The Hope College women's basketball team will play for its 13th MIAA Tournament championship tonight at DeVos Fieldhouse.

Tipoff is 5 p.m. The winner earns the league's automatic berth to the NCAA Division III Champoinships.

The Flying Dutch enters today as the top seed and regular-season MIAA champion for the 15th time.

Hope (25-1) is making its 17th apperance in the title game of the league tournament and 11th in a row. This is Trine's first finals appearnace.

The Flying Dutch are 12-4 all-time in MIAA Tournament title games and 47-11 in all MIAA Tournament games after 24 appearances. They lost in last season's final 77-73 at Calvin.

Brian Morehouse has guided Hope to 16 of its trips to the MIAA Tournament title game. His record in those games is 11-4. Tod Gugino guided the Flying Dutch to a 54-43 win against Calvin in the 1995 title game.

Hope has been to the national tournament 16 times, including a current run of three consecutive appearances, and claimed national titles in 2006 and 1990. Head coach Brian Morehouse has led Hope to postseason play 14 times.

The Flying Dutch own a 25-1 overall record. They are ranked sixth in this week's D3Hoops.com rankings and seventh in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association poll.

Hope defeated fourth-seeded Olivet 63-53 in Friday's semifinal. The Flying Dutch overcame their largest deficit of the season — 19 points — by outscoring the Comets 29-11 during the fourth quarter. Maura McAfee scored nine of her game-high 28 points — 1 off her career high — during the final 10 minutes, while Mandy Traversa added 11 of her 18 points in the stretch.

Hope owns an 14-0 home record this season, including an 9-0 road record against MIAA foes. The Flying Dutch are 2-0 in neutral-court games and 9-1 on the road. Hope's lone loss this season came in an 88-77 defeat at Calvin on February 20.

The Flying Dutch have won 28 of 29 meetings against Trine all-time, including two regular-season wins in 2015-16. Hope quelled the Thunder 64-50 on December 2 at DeVos
Fieldhouse and won 65-61 in Angola, Indiana on January 23. 

The Flying Dutch's loss in the series came in their first meeting when Trine was known as Tri-State. Tri-State won 74-55 in 1991.

This is the fourth time Hope and Trine have met in the MIAA Tournament. DeVos Fieldhouse hosted the previous three games. Hope won 66-47 in the 2011 semifinals, 81-52 in a 2008 first-round game and 85-61 in a 2007 first-round game.

Today's games features five players who received All-MIAA honors on Friday. There are two Hope first-teamers: MVP Maura McAfee and Angelique Gaddy. Trine has two second-team selections: Brandi Dawson and Hayley Martin. Hope also had the league's Defensive Player of the Year in Autumn Anderson.

Brian Morehouse earned a milestone 500th career
victory with a 95-58 win against Saint Mary's on February 6 at DeVos Fieldhouse. Morehouse was the 28th Division III women's basketball coach all-time to reach 500 wins and the 18th current one. Morehouse is now 504-77.

The Flying Dutch are 165-5 all-time at DeVos Fieldhouse since the facility opened for the 2005-06 season. Hope is on an 17-game home win streak that started January 21, 2015 against Trine. Calvin is the last team to beat Hope at DeVos.

Hope College has topped NCAA Division III women's basketball attendance for seven consecutive seasons and nine overall. The Flying Dutch are averaging 1,154  fans per home game this season. Hope averaged 963 fans per game during the 2014-15 season. The Flying Dutch led Division III in women's basketball, men's basketball and volleyball attendance for the second year in a row in 2014-15.

Maura McAfee now sits third all-time in scoring for the Flying Dutch. She has 1,374 points in 116 games and passed Karen Gingras (1,368 in 86 games from 1982-86) for third place during the Olivet semifinal. McAfee trails Amanda Kerkstra (1,568 in 107 games from 1999-2003) and Carrie Snikkers (1,430 in 111 games between 2007-2011).

Maura McAfee's 412 points this season are the seventh-most by a Flying Dutch player in a single season. She had a career-best 431 as a junior in 2014-15 and 412 as a sophomore in 2013-14. The school record of 518 belongs to Amanda Kerkstra (2002-03).

Maura McAfee has scored in double figures in 22 of 25 games this season, including a career-high and DeVos Fieldhouse-record 29 against Olivet on January 27. She has five 20-point games this season and netted at least nine points in every game this season. 

Maura McAfee's 1,028 career rebounds are a school record. She became the first Flying Dutch player to achieve 1,000 career rebounds during the 83-47 win at Kalamazoo on February 13. 

Maura McAfee and Floyd Brady are the only Hope College basketball players of any gender to reach 1,000 rebounds. Brady holds Flying Dutchmen records with 2,004 points and 1,143 rebounds in 89 games from 1964-68.

Maura McAfee's 278 rebounds are the fifth most in a single season by a Flying Dutch player. She owns three of the top five marks: 312 in 2014-15 and 280 in 2013-14.

Maura McAfee is second all-time at Hope with 187 career blocked shots. The school record of 215 belongs to Carrie Snikkers (2007-11).

Maura McAfee is fourth all-time at Hope with 220 career steals. The school record of 322 belongs to Philana Greene (322 from 2006-10).

Maura McAfee placed second in the MIAA in scoring this season at 15.4 points per game to Trine's Hayley Martin (15.7). She is second in rebounding at 10.6 to Albion's Darian Payne (11.0).

The Flying Dutch have reached the 100-point mark three times this season, as school record. They had accomplished the feat no more twice in any previous season. Hope scored 102 points against Bethany, W.V. on November 20 at DeVos Fieldhouse and 102 against Mount Ida, Massachusetts on December 29 in Orlando, Florida.

The Flying Dutch strung together 38 consecutive points on January 2 to cruise to a 90-57 home victory against Adrian. The dominant stretch started one minute into the second quarter and lasted through the first 2 1/2 minutes of the third quarter.

Two Flying Dutch players have been named MIAA Players of the Week this season. Maura McAfee has been recognized three times: February 1, December 21 and November 23. Elizabeth Perkins was selected on January 25.

Hope has won five the past six regular-season titles. The Flying Dutch have been outright league champs 12 times and shared the championship three times.

The Flying Dutch begin pursuit of their 15th MIAA championship ranked second in the league's preseason coaches poll. Hope received two of eight-possible first-place votes and finished second to defending champion. Calvin topped the poll with seven first-place votes and 63 points and was followed by Hope (58), Trine (42), Albion (38), Kalamazoo (37), Olivet (31), Adrian (30), Alma (16) and Saint Mary's (9).

Francesca Buchanan recorded a career-high 20 points during a 104-64 win against Kalamazoo on January 16 at DeVos Fieldhouse. She went 9-of-14 from the field and 2-of-2 from the foul line. She has reached double figures in nine games during her freshman season.

The Flying Dutch begin pursuit of their 15th MIAA championship ranked second in the league's preseason coaches poll. Hope received two of eight-possible first-place votes and finished second to defending champion. Calvin topped the poll with seven first-place votes and 63 points and was followed by Hope (58), Trine (42), Albion (38), Kalamazoo (37), Olivet (31), Adrian (30), Alma (16) and Saint Mary's (9).

Maura McAfee received Academic All-District distinction from the College Sports Information Directors of America. The senior is eligible for Academic All-America consideration. She carries a 3.69 grade point average while pursing a major in biology. She plans to attend graduate school for physical therapy.

Maura McAfee was chosen one of five players on the 2015-16 D3Hoops.com NCAA Division III Preseason All-America First Team. McAfee joined Thomas More guard Sydney Moss, Howard Payne guard Danyel Bradley, Eastern Mennonite forward Jess Rheinheimer and Farleigh Dickinson-Florham forward Shalette Brown on the first team. McAfee was among 25 players across the nation recognized by D3hoops.com with their preseason program.

Francesca Buchanan finished third in the MIAA with a 48.8 field-goal percentage. She has made 101-of-207 shots from the floor. Maura McAfee is fifth at 47.8 percent (143-299). 

Maura McAfee finished 11th in the MIAA for career scoring in league games. She totaled 777 points and was two points behind Alma's Sue Spagnuolo for 10th place.

Maura McAfee's 583 rebounds in 63 regular-season MIAA games is the second most all-time. She trails Alma's Shelly Ulfig (606 rebounds in 58 games from 1999-2003.