The top-ranked Hope College women’s basketball team shot off to a quick start in the season opener at DeVos Fieldhouse.
The Flying Dutch scored the first 10 points of the game and never looked back in a 143-57 school-record setting win on Friday night. The 143 scoring mark was good for an NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball scoring record, as well as put them atop the DeVos Fieldhouse scoring records as well.
“For me it was about establishing an identity for this year’s team, I think a lot of people talk about the National Championship, we’re never going to forget that, but we also have to move to that next level,” said head coach Brian Morehouse.
?: Hope wins the DIII women’s basketball national championship
Hope’s opening run came courtesy of four of the five starters. Senior Claire Baguley (Ada, Michigan / Forest Hills Central HS) started things off with a jumper from the paint before seniors Kate Majerus, Ella McKinney (Haslett, Michigan / Hashlett) and Meg Morehouse (Zeeland, Michigan / Zeeland East) each put on two points of their own. Majerus (Sycamore, Illinois / Sycamore) then finished off the unanswered run with a layup.
The Golden Tornadoes only came as close as eight points to the Flying Dutch throughout the rest of the quarter, and the game. Hope put up 43 points in the first half alone to top the record for most points during a quarter in a women’s basketball game at DeVos Fieldhouse.
“We had a really good assist-to-turnover ratio which is something that we thought we needed to have and we rebounded the ball really well,” said Morehouse. “I thought we shared the ball, and really did a lot of good things that we wanted to do to establish this years’ identity.”
HISTORY: Every DIII women’s basketball champion since 1982
Hope shot 85% in the field during the first quarter to set the precedent for the remainder of the game. The Flying Dutch defense would shine bright in the third quarter as they held Geneva to just five points.
Sophomore Olivia Bellows (Lake City, Michigan / Lake City) led Hope with 19 points on the night, while also topping the Orange and Blue in rebounds with seven.
Morehouse put up 17 points in the home-opener while freshman Sydney Vis (Byron Center, Michigan / South Christian) chipped in 17 points off the bench.
Hope is back in action tomorrow for day two of the Tipoff Tournament at DeVos Fieldhouse to face off with Illinois Wesleyan at 3 p.m.
Yorum Yok İlk Yorum Yapan Siz Olun!