In a battle of nationally-ranked teams, the Hope College women's basketball team charged forward on Saturday in the inaugural Michele Schoon Classic at DeVos Fieldhouse. 

Hope, ranked No. 22 in the most recent WBCA poll and 23rd in the D3hoops.com poll, took down perennial powerhouse and nationally-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University, 76-73, in overtime.

The Flying Dutch improved to 6-1 on the season. Illinois Wesleyan, No. 16 WBCA and No. 10 D3hoops.com, fell to 202.

Hope opened the game unsettled, struggling to convert opportunities on offense, missing 13 of 16 shots in the period, and committing nine turnovers in just the first quarter against the Titans' full court press.

"We just got sped up too much, we were really excited about playing a great team like Illinois Wesleyan and we were playing too fast" said head coach Brian Morehouse of the powerful Titan defense. 

The Flying Dutch flipped the tone of the game in the second quarter, stringing together momentum-shifting plays that erased Illinois Wesleyan's early lead.

Sophomore Anna Richards (DeWitt, Michigan / Lansing Catholic HS) ignited the rally, sinking back-to-back shots including one from behind the arc to shrink the Titan lead margin. 

Sophomore Leah Richards (DeWitt, Michigan / Lansing Catholic) brought Hope within two with a layup and two successful free throws, but Terin Maynard's three-pointer gave the home team their first lead of the game at 21-20. 

xwHope used four more sunken free throws and a behind the arc crowd energizing three-pointer from sophomore Maddie Petroelje (Hudsonville, Michigan / Hudsonville) to make the Orange and Blue advantage 28-22. 

The battle ensued, with the Titans sinking 14 of the final 20 points of the second quarter, regaining the lead, 36-34, at the half. 

A quiet third quarter for Illinois Wesleyan allowed Hope to gain back the lead, but the Titans weren't going down without a fight, shooting their best stretch since the first half at 50% from the field. 

Three lead changes and a regulation ending tie, led to extra basketball. 

Illinois Wesleyan grabbed a slim lead early in overtime period with inside scoring and drawing fouls. But their shooting cooled off, hitting just 2 of 6 shots in the extra period.

Hope held composure, and sank critical baskets, including a pair of free throws from senior Sydney Vis (Byron Center, Michigan / South Christian), and a Vis three-pointer, allowing the Flying Dutch to take a five-point lead.

Crucial rebounds and stops, as well as outshooting the Titans 9-6 in the extra frame cemented the win for the Flying Dutch.

Hope's offense had four players scoring in double digits. 

Anna Richards led the way with 17 points, and 14 rebounds, earning her the inaugural MVP title for the Michele Schoon Classic. 

Vis tapped in with 15 points to place her on the All-Tournament team, Maynard (Grand Rapids, Michigan / Jenison) added 13 points and Leah Richards put up 12 points and 11 rebounds. 

Hope returns to the floor on Saturday, Dec. 6, traveling to Saint Mary's (IN) at 3 p.m.