Men's Basketball Takes a Lot from Exhibition Battle with D-II Saginaw Valley State

The Hope College men's basketball team battled NCAA Division II Saginaw Valley State University in a back-and-forth exhibition opener before falling, 80-76, on Thursday night at DeVos Fieldhouse.

Senior Marcus Wourman (Lansing, Michigan / East Lansing) led the Flying Dutchmen with 25 points on 9-of-18 shooting from the field. Wourman also finished with five rebounds and an assist.

Junior Parker Hovey (Shelby, Michigan / Hart) contributed 18 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the field as well as seven rebounds and four assists.

Sophomore Charles Howell (Cadillac, Michigan / Cadillac) also scored in double figures with 12 points off the bench.

Head coach Greg Mitchell was pleased with the team's energy while facing a challenging opponent that included four NCAA Division I transfers. Sixteen different players saw the court for Hope.

"We will take a lot away from a game like this, which is good", said Mitchell, who's in his 12th season.

SVSU pulled away late. With 2 minutes, 35 seconds left, the Cardinals drilled a 3 to go up nine, their largest lead of the game.

A corner 3 from freshman big man Sean Wesolek (Bay City, Michigan / John Glenn), assisted by Hovey at 1:35 cut the deficit to six, but the Cardinals held on. Honey's fast-break layup with 14 seconds remaining closed the scoring.

Wesole made a mark in his Hope College debut playing 16 minutes and finishing with six points and five rebounds.

Alongside Wesolek was freshman guard Brendan Cargill (Grand Rapids, Michigan / Forest Hills Central) who started and played 15 minutes and was a perfect 2-of-2 at the line for his only two points of the night. Cargill also started for the Flying Dutchmen tonight.

The Flying Dutchmen will kick off their regular season on Friday, Nov. 7, at 7 p.m. at Anderson University (Indiana).

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