Lynne Powe

Box Score

Hope Hope 24-3,14-2 Michigan Intercol. Ath. Assn.

Trine Trine 22-5,15-1 Michigan Intercol. Ath. Assn.

Hope Hope

24-3,14-2 Michigan Intercol. Ath. Assn.

Final

Feb. 28, 2026

Trine Trine

22-5,15-1 Michigan Intercol. Ath. Assn.

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	3	4	F
Hope Hope	20	12	23	21	76
Trine Trine	12	12	24	14	62

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | 3/1/2026 2:00:00 AM | Alan Babbitt

No. 9 Women's Basketball Caps "Long Year" as MIAA Tournament Champs

Hope defeats Trine, 76-62, in the title game

One year to the day following a disappointing end to the season in Angola, Indiana, guard Terin Maynard and her Hope College women's basketball teammates walked off the same court at Trine University as MIAA Tournament champions.

The ninth-ranked Flying Dutch completed a long, challenging journey following the end of their lengthy run of NCAA Division III Tournament appearances on Saturday, defeating nationally-ranked Trine, 76-62, on Saturday.

Hope (24-3 overall) clinched the program's 25th postseason appearance and its 12th in its last 13 chances. The NCAA Tournament field will be announced on Monday, March 2, at 2:30 p.m. on ncaa.com.

"This whole year we worked super hard to get back to where we want to be," said Maynard, reflecting on the season-ending loss to Calvin University in the 2025 MIAA Tournament semifinals. "We know the national tournament is a spot where we can make a run and show people who we are. We focused really hard all season on effort and concentration. Nothing to do with skill. I think we just played harder."

Hope's coaching staff also took last season personally and worked tirelessly to elevate the Orange and Blue's play.

"It has been a long year — a long, hard year for us as coaches when we didn't get in last year. We take great pride in having our teams ready and playing in the national tournament," head coach Brian Morehouse said. "Sometimes you've got to go to the depths to figure out what you've got to do before you can rise and see the sun. This is the culmination of 365 days of really challenging conversations as a coaching staff, growth as a coaching staff and growth as a program."

The road back to the NCAA Tournament was not smooth.

In January, the Flying Dutch lost on the road at Trine and Albion College, knocking the Orange and Blue out of MIAA title contention.

Hope avenged both of those losses to the MIAA's first- and third-place teams twice over a two-week span, winning twice convincingly at home last week to close the regular season, then twice again during the MIAA Tournament, presented by Collegiate Credit Union.

On Saturday, the Flying Dutch scored the game's first nine points during the opening 3 minutes, 39 seconds and never trailed. Hope led, 20-12, after the first quarter. Trine rallied after that but never pulled closer than three points.

The Orange and Blue shot 50% from the field (29-58) and put three in double figures.

Sophomore guard and All-MIAA First Team selection Anna Richards (DeWitt, Michigan / Lansing Catholic) scored a career-high 24 points of 64.7% field-goal shooting (11-17).

Maynard (Grand Rapids, Michigan / Jenison) posted a double-double with a season-high 15 points and a career-best 10 assists. She finished one assist shy of tying the MIAA Tournament record.

Sophomore forward and All-MIAA Second Team honoree Leah Richards (DeWitt, Michigan / Lansing Catholic) chipped in 12 points.

Senior forward Sydney Vis (Byron Center, Michigan / South Christian) added nine points and became the 17th member of the Flying Dutch to reach the 1,000-career point milestone.

"I thought we stayed consistent the whole game," Morehouse said. "To shoot 50% from the field against what I think is the best defensive team that we play every year is a testament to a lot of learning that our team has done throughout the year. We spent a lot of time on how to attack better defensive teams like Trine. Our players really took to these lessons."

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