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Parker Hovey drives to the basket against a Rose-Hulman defender.
Tom Renner
Pictured, Parker Hovey
64
Rose-Hulman RHIT 6-4,4-0 HCAC
69
Winner Hope Hope 5-5,0-0 Michigan Intercol. Ath. Assn.
Rose-Hulman RHIT
6-4,4-0 HCAC
64
Final
69
Hope Hope
5-5,0-0 Michigan Intercol. Ath. Assn.
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Rose-Hulman RHIT 36 28 64
Hope Hope 31 38 69

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Alan Babbitt

Men's Basketball Muscles Past Rose-Hulman in Glenn Van Wieren Classic Opener

Justice Mims dove near mid-court at DeVos Fieldhouse after the basketball he tipped, then batted it with one hand to another diving Hope College teammate, Parker Hovey.

Laying on the floor, Hovey mustered the strength with his right arm to heave the ball to a streaking Josh Decker. Drawing a foul, Decker buried two free throws to follow a go-ahead 3-pointer from Simon Neuhaus.

The hustling sequence illustrated what it took for the Flying Dutchmen to earn a 69-64, come-from-behind victory against Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference co-leader Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (Indiana) on Friday in the opening round of the inaugural Glenn Van Wieren Classic.

"You've got to be the first to the floor; it has to mean more," head coach Greg Mitchell said. "It did at that moment."

The Flying Dutchmen overcame a late first-half deficit of nine points to even their record at 5-5.

Hope will face DePauw University (Indiana) on Saturday, Dec. 21, at 3 p.m. in the tournament finale. DePauw (4-7) looks to rebound after losing to The University of Olivet, 84-77, in Friday's first game. Olivet (2-6) plays Rose-Hulman (6-4) at 1 p.m.

The Glenn Van Wieren Classic honors Hope's legendary coach, who led the Flying Dutchmen to a 660-219 overall record (.751) over 33 seasons before retiring in 2010. 

During Van Wieren's tenure, Hope finished as national runner-up twice, advanced to the Final Four three times, made 21 trips to the NCAA Division III Tournament and claimed 17 MIAA titles.

"Everybody is here at Hope because of him; that speaks to his legacy," Mitchell said. "I'm grateful for him. I'm glad we could honor him. It will be a special day [on Saturday] with so many former players here. Hopefully, he can bask in the glow of Hope Basketball."

On Friday, the Flying Dutchmen rallied in Van Wieren's presence by outscoring Rose-Hulman, 38-28, during the second half.

Four Hope players scored in double figures. Senior center Gabe Quillan (Ada, Michigan / Grand Rapids Catholic Central HS) netted a team-high 14 points despite foul trouble.

Hovey (Shelby, Michigan / Hart) contributed 13 points and a game-high four steals while sharing game-high honors in both rebounds with nine and assists with five.

Junior guard Marcus Wourman (East Lansing, Michigan / East Lansing) and senior guard Josh Decker (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio / Woodrige) added 11 points apiece. Wourman also dished out five assists.

Mims (Rochester Hills, Michigan / Rochester Adams) finished with nine points, including five over the final 2 minutes, 47 seconds with a 3 and a layup.

Rose-Hulman received a game-high 17 points from guard Daniel Suvovic, who played all 40 minutes. 

Mitchell was proud of how the Flying Dutchmen responded to his quick timeout 1 ½ minutes into the second half after Rose-Hulman scored seven quick points on three possessions for a 42-35 lead. Hope scored the next seven points.

"We just challenged them to play harder," Mitchell said. "They have to get in people's faces. It was a disciplined, senior-laden team that doesn't make a lot of mistakes. You have to force some mistakes, force some tempo. We started playing harder defensively and magically you started playing better offensively. 

"We needed that. We knew that was going to be a tough game."

 
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