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Tanner Wiegerink shoots a jumper in the lane vs. Anderson at Case Western Reserve University.
Alan Babbitt
Pictured, senior Tanner Wiegerink (5)
79
Anderson (IN) AU 23-5,16-2 HCAC
95
Winner Hope Hope 23-6,11-3 Michigan Intercol. Ath. Assn.
Anderson (IN) AU
23-5,16-2 HCAC
79
Final
95
Hope Hope
23-6,11-3 Michigan Intercol. Ath. Assn.
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Anderson (IN) AU 26 53 79
Hope Hope 45 50 95

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Alan Babbitt

'Orange Squad" Preps Men's Basketball for NCAA First-Round Victory vs. Anderson

The "Orange Squad" got the Hope College men's basketball team juiced for a big performance to tip off the NCAA Division III Tournament.

Thanks to the scout unit's execution of simulating an opponent's unique scheme, the No. 22-ranked Flying Dutchmen sliced through Anderson University's zone defense from the start and earned a 95-79 first-round victory on Friday in Cleveland, Ohio.

Hope (23-6) advanced to play weekend host and sixth-ranked Case Western Reserve University on Saturday, March 2, at 7:15 p.m. CWRU defeated Mary Baldwin University (Va.), 66-51, in Friday's second game. 

Tickets go on sale online on Saturday at 8 a.m. through the CWRU website. They must be purchased online. There are no sales at the door.

Senior guard Clayton Dykhouse credited his teammates for putting the MIAA Tournament champion Flying Dutchmen to excel. 

Hope shot 60% from the field while recording 25 assists on 39 made baskets. The assist total was one of the season high.

"Shout-out to a bunch of guys who deserve a lot of credit, our 'Orange Squad.' A lot of underclassmen, and Rob Nocek, Devin Cheaney, Ben Wagar and Josh Decker, those guys helped us get ready," Dykhouse said. "They ran their zone, and it's something we don't see a lot of. It was uncomfortable. Coaches asked a lot of them. 

"It was awkward at first, but they did a phenomenal job giving us an amazing look. It was hard to go against them in practice. They made it challenging and frustrating. Without them, their work and dedication, really investing in it, we're not sitting here."

The Flying Dutchmen trailed only once, 2-0, for a total of just 29 seconds. Hope then scored the next eight points for an 8-2 lead at the 16:03 mark.

The lead grew to 29-9 over the next eight minutes as the Flying Dutchmen patiently dissected Anderson's 2-3 zone. 

By the time the halftime buzzer sounded, Hope led 45-26 behind six points or more from six different players, including four starters, and assists from all five starters.

Defensively, Hope held the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament champions to 31.3% first-half field-goal shooting. The Ravens missed all nine 3-pointers they attempted.

"I think the first half was indicative of a team that was really dialed in," head coach Greg Mitchell said. "When we got here, after a week of study, we had one of our best practices of the season (on Thursday). We knew we had to play a certain way to advance.

"I thought in the first half we guarded exceptionally hard, then we executed our offensive game plan exactly how we drew it up."

The Flying Dutchmen finished the game shooting 60% from the field (39-65). 

Senior forward Tanner Wiegerink (Holland, Michigan / West Ottawa) scored a game-high 22 points on 62.5% field-goal shooting (10-16) and grabbed a game-high eight rebounds.

Junior center Gabe Quillan (Ada, Michigan / Grand Rapids Catholic Central) chipped in 18 points on 80% field-goal shooting (8-10) and four assists.

Senior forward TJ McKenzie (Muskegon, Michigan / North Muskegon) also reached double figures with 10 points. 

Dykhouse (Zeeland, Michigan / Zeeland East) added nine points. The senior shared game-high assist honors with sophomore guard Marcus Wourman (East Lansing, Michigan / East Lansing). Both recorded six.

Decker (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio / Woodridge) buried all three of Hope's 3-pointers to finish with nine points.

Anderson (23-5) received a team-high 20 points from forward Bryson Huckeby but shot 39.% from the field.

Entering Friday, Anderson had scored at least 90 points in seven of its past eight games.

Head coach Carter Collins, a 2017 Hope graduate and former student assistant coach under Mitchell, said the Flying Dutchmen's size around the rim helped them produce quality shots against his team's defense.

"They did a really good job of positioning their players to the point they were going to be able to throw it inside," Collins said. "We did try to pack it in a little more inside, but they're going across the top 6-9, 6-7, 6-5. They got a whole bunch of size coming off the bench. If they do get it in that paint area, they're tough to stop. Not only are they tall, but they're skilled finishers."

The Flying Dutchmen outscored Anderson 62-42 in the paint and finished plus-12 on the boards. 

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