by Eva Dean Folkert

Ashleigh Thomas, pictured right, scored the bulk of her points in the first quarter while Kenedy Schoonveld, pictured left, knocked down most of hers in the second. Together, the two seniors got the Hope College women's basketball team off to a hot start at Alma College on Wednesday en route to an 81-48 Flying Dutch win over the Scots.

Hope is now 3-0 on the season while Alma stands at 2-2.

The victory is Hope's 32nd in a row, making it the second-longest win streak in team history. The record is 44 consecutive wins, a stretch that covered 2005-06 and 2006-07.

Thomas of Shelby Township (Lutheran North HS) and Schoonveld of Zeeland (Holland Christian HS) each scored nine of their game-high 13 points in their favored early quarters, racing Hope out to a 21-point halftime lead, 43-22.

The two also had stellar shooting percentages in reaching their totals, just as the entire Flying Dutch team did. While Thomas went 6-for-8, with one three-pointer, Schoonveld registered 5-for-8, also with one three-pointer. As a team, Hope shot 49.3% (34 of 69) from the floor on the night.  

And of Hope's 81 points, 64 were scored in the paint, a nod to the Flying Dutch's height advantage as well as their shooting efficiency.

The game was not one of multiple, long scoring streaks but simply a steady and confident build toward Hope's 33-point win in which the Flying Dutch led wire-to-wire. Coach Brian Morehouse's squad did, though, score 10 unanswered point to open the second half, their largest run of the night.

As the Flying Dutch led in bench points (36 to 19), two more Hope players rounded out double-digit scoring: Senior Courteney Barnes of Mokena, Ill. (Lincoln Way-Central HS) adding 11 points and senior Mallory Gerber of Schaumburg, Ill. (Schaumburg HS) with 10.

The Flying Dutch also dominated in on the boards with a 26-rebound advantage over the Scots, 47-21. Senior Lauren Newman of Flushing (Flushing HS) and Schoonveld led with six rebounds each.

Hope returns to action at DeVos Fieldhouse on Saturday, January 30 against long-time rival Calvin University. Game time is 3 p.m.