by Alan Babbitt

In possibly his final basketball game at DeVos Fieldhouse, Ryan Gamm made it a memorable one.

The Hope College senior sparked the Flying Dutchmen to a 99-71 victory against Adrian College in the MIAA Tournament on Tuesday by scoring a career-high 21 points.

Gamm, pictured, recorded his first double-digit scoring effort with a 66.7 percent effort from the field (10-15). He also grabbed seven rebounds and recorded four assists.

Third-seeded Hope (7-4 overall) advanced to play at second-seeded Albion College in a Thursday, March 4 semifinal at 7:30 p.m.

Head coach Greg Mitchell was thrilled for his 6-7 forward from Rockford, Michigan (Rockford HS).

"He is the ultimate teammate," Mitchell said. "He's an unassuming guy, real quiet. He does everything right on the court. He's incredibly smart. He makes few mistakes. He's doing the little things that make a team tick."

Mitchell said he encouraged Gamm during pre-game warmups to take those open 15-foot jump shots if Adrian gave it to him. He told him he liked how Gamm has been shooting lately.

Gamm delivered.15 points in the second half alone, helping Hope outscore the Bulldogs 54-32.

The Flying Dutchmen came out of halftime on a 16-2 run that propelled them to a 61-41 lead.

"A shout out to my teammates. It's because of them," said Gamm, whose previous high was eight points. "They poured into me. It was them believing in me."

Gamm was one of four Hope players to finish in double figures.

Senior forward Preston Granger (Lansing, Michigan/Lansing Christian) and junior guard Tyler George (Ada, Michigan/Forest Hills Central) chipped in 18 points apiece.

Senior guard Danny Beckman added 11 points. He and George both buried three 3-pointers.

Adrian (3-13) received 15 points apiece from Connor Pelham and Robert Warrick. The Bulldogs were held to 35.5 percent field-goal shooting during the second half.