An MIAA powerhouse matchup. A nationally-ranked matchup. A battle for first place in the league.Â
No matter how you say it, the matchup between the Hope College women's basketball team and Trine University was a game you did not want to miss.Â
Hope's eight-game win streak was snapped by Trine in Angola, Indiana, as the Thunder came out on top, 76-66.
"I thought it was a great game between two highly ranked teams in the country," head coach
Brian Morehouse said. "Our slow start got us in a hole in the first quarter, but I thought we came back strong to get it within two at halftime. I think the big difference in the game was the rebounding margin and the missed free-throws that we had. Moving forward, we need to focus on being more efficient on offense and getting our field goal percentage up into the mid to high 40s with a better efficiency from the free-throw line. I think defensively we can't allow the other team to shoot such a high percentage and need to stick to our defensive game plan."
The afternoon matchup pitted the Thunder against the Flying Dutch for the 56th total time and the 25th time in the last seven years, including seven MIAA tournament championship meetings.Â
Hope moved to 11-3 overall (4-1 MIAA), while Trine improved to 12-2 (5-0 MIAA) and grabbed the outright MIAA first-place slot. The two teams will meet again on Saturday, Feb. 15, at DeVos Fieldhouse.
Despite being down by 10 with five minutes remaining the first half, the Flying Dutch chipped Trine's lead down to just two points at halftime.Â
The Flying Dutch stayed within striking distance during the second half, but Trine's late-game execution proved too much to handle.Â
The Thunder outscored Hope 26-18 in the fourth quarter, pulling away in the closing minutes.
Senior Olivia Bellows (Lake City, Michigan / Lake City HS) topped Hope with 16 points, one of three who touched the court with double-digit performances.Â
Freshman Anna Richards (DeWitt, Michigan / Lansing Catholic) contributed 15 points for Hope while shooting 50% from the field (4-8), and hitting four-of-five from the free throw line.Â
Freshman Leah Richards (DeWitt, Michigan / Lansing Catholic) added 10 points and pulled down a team-high five rebounds.Â
Hope returns to action, still on the road, on Wednesday, Jan. 15, at 5:30 p.m. at Kalamazoo College. It's part of a Hope-Kalamazoo women's and men's doubleheader.
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