Behind the hands of Evan Thomas, Clayton Dykhouse and Gabe Quillan was the Hope College men's basketball comeback win over Alma College.
An 83-76 Saturday evening win was ignited after a first half that had Hope down by 10, and Thomas scoreless.
The senior Okemos native (Okemos HS) finished the night with 20 points to help the Flying Dutchmen take down the Scots. Thomas picked up one of two double-doubles during the win, collecting 14 total rebounds while going 9 for 16 from the field, including three quick baskets to start the second half strong.
"Our leaders led. Evan understood how much he had to attack downhill. He is our engine. We are seeing more of the real Evan Thomas, which is great," said head coach Greg Mitchell.
Dykhouse secured a shot from behind the arc after the Evan Thomas trio of shots, which seemed to spark more back and forth between Alma and Hope before freshman Justice Mims (Rochester Hills, Michigan / Rochester Adams) would place Hope within two with 11:07 to go with a driving layup.
Dykhouse, the senior Zeeland Native (Zeeland East), then sank another 3-point shot in front of the Dew Crew to give the Flying Dutchmen their first lead of the second half, 57-56, which sent all of DeVos Fieldhouse into a frenzy.
"We found the rim a little more with control in the second half. The lid was on the hoop in that first half, it was insane," said Mitchell.
The Scots gained the lead once more, 58-57, before Hope regained control and held the lead for the remainder of the game.
The Flying Dutchmen improved to 10-7overall, and 4-2 in MIAA play, keeping them in third place in the league standings.
Dykhouse finished the night with 19 points and 10 rebounds to collect the second double-double of the night. The guard also had game-highs in assists with five, and steals with four.
Senior Gabe Quillan (Ada, Michigan / Grand Rapids Catholic Central) tallied 20 points and corralled nine rebounds for Hope.
Hope improved from a 23% shooting rate from the field and 12.5% from the 3-point range in the first half, to shooting 38.5% for the game and sending in 20 of 25 free throws.
The Flying Dutchmen head to Kalamazoo College on Wednesday, Jan. 25, with a 7 p.m. tipoff.
