The Hope College men's basketball team found its winning formula on the road Friday night, blending defensive intensity with opportunistic scoring to secure a 71–64 victory at Ohio Northern.

Hope (3-2) opened its first of two road games in as many days in Ohio by setting the tone early. 

A flurry of steals from freshman Avery Sanchez (Turlock, California / John H. Pitman HS)  and senior Marcus Wourman (Lansing, Michigan / East Lansing) helped fuel an 8-0 run that pushed the Flying Dutchmen to a 20-11 lead near the midway mark of the first half. 

The Polar Bears sunk their share of responses from the perimeter, but each time a threat came about, Hope swung the momentum back to the Orange and Blue. 

As the first half closed, the Flying Dutchmen continued to dictate pace, keeping Hope in front heading into the break, 35–30.

In the second half, Hope's poise and physicality took center stage. When Ohio Northern trimmed the margin to a single possession, Wourman repeatedly answered with drives through the lane, and earned trips to the line. 

Ohio Northern continued pressing, bringing the game within one possession a handful more times, but Hope kept the Polar Bears within arms length for the remainder of the game with their control of the paint, grabbing a total of 44 points inside. 

Hope forced consecutive empty Polar Bear possessions in the final two minutes to seal the deal. 

Wourman led Hope and all scorers with 24 points on 50% shooting (9-of-18) and 71.4% from the line (5-7).

Junior Parker Hovey (Shelby, Michigan / Hart) added 11 points, while sophomores Kyle Blauch (Boulder, Colorado / Boulder) and Orion Yant (Zeeland, Michigan / Zeeland West) each contributed six points apiece. 

Hovey anchored the glass with five rebounds and paced the Orange and Blue with four assists. 

Hope takes on Ohio Wesleyan University on Saturday, Dec. 6, at 3 p.m. in Delaware, Ohio.