Hope hit the floor on Friday night with a rhythm that felt impossible to slow.
From the opening possessions, the Hope College women's basketball team played like a team intent on pushing the tempo, stretching the floor, and turning every opportunity into pressure.
By the time the night settled inside DeVos Fieldhouse, that relentless pace had carried Hope to a landmark win, 103–65 over Penn State University Behrend, and the program's first-ever 100-point performance in an NCAA Tournament game.
The first round NCAA Tournament win pushed Hope to 25-3 on the season and into another game at DeVos Fieldhouse. The Flying Dutch moves to the second round of the NCAA Tournament to face off with Illinois Wesleyan University on Saturday, March 7 at 8:30 p.m.
Illinois Wesleyan (23-5) topped Washington and Jefferson University in Friday' s opener. It is the Titans' second game at DeVos Fieldhouse this season. Hope edged IWU, 76-73, in overtime on Nov. 22.
Head coach Brian Morehouse reflected on the great start Hope had against Penn State-Behrend (22-6) from the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference.
"I think it all started on the defensive end, I thought we made them really uncomfortable on the offensive end," Morehouse said. "Winning in the margins, offensive rebounds, turnovers, and then scoring after a turnover, and fast breaks, I just think we were really on point tonight."
Hope seized control almost instantly. After a brief early exchange, the Flying Dutch ripped off a 23–6 run to close the first quarter, fueled by Maddie Petroelje's (Hudsonville, Michigan / Hudsonville HS) early three and a string of fast-break finishes that sent the building into a frenzy.
The second quarter transformed dominance into separation.
Shooting a blistering 68% from the field, Hope buried four threes, including back-to-back daggers from junior Chloe Brunsberg (Chaska, Minnesota / Southwest Christian), and stretched the lead to 60–29 by halftime.
The second half solidified things further for Hope behind a Petroelje scoring burst as the Orange and Blue continued to widen the scoring margin. The fourth quarter saw the century mark when junior Emma Yakey (Saint Charles, Illinois / Saint Charles East) drove the net for a layup.
Petroelje led the way with 22 points on 75% shooting (9-12), including 4-of-6 from behind the arc.
Sophomore Anna Richards (DeWitt, Michigan / Lansing Catholic) added 14 points, five rebounds and three assists.
Sophomore Leah Richards (DeWitt, Michigan / Lansing Catholic) contributed nine points and three steals.
Off the bench, freshman Josie DeSmit (Hudsonville, Michigan / Hudsonville) delivered 10 points and three assists, while Brunsberg put up nine first-half points.
