Jan. 31, 2007

DEFENDING CHAMPS DOWN BULLDOGS
No. 4 Hope rolls to 87-53 victory

By Ed Patino
Sports Information Assistant

ADRIAN, Mich. – The Hope College women’s basketball team looked like the defending MIAA and NCAA Division III national champions.

Hot shooting in the first half and strong defense all night long sparked the Flying Dutch to an 87-53 victory over the Adrian College Bulldogs at the Merillat Center.

Hope (18-2, 10-2 MIAA), ranked No. 4 in the recent USA Today/ESPN Division III polls, kept pace for the top seed in the MIAA Tournament, which begins in two weeks. The Dutch are two games behind league-leading Calvin.

Adrian (8-11, 3-9 MIAA) fell to the Dutch for the 18th straight time, dating back to the 1997-98 season.

The Dutch set the tone by scoring the game’s first nine points in the first two minutes. Consecutive layups by Kim Olech and a pair of free throws from Jennifer Perrin brought Adrian to within 15-8 just under eight minutes in, but Hope shut down the Bulldogs after that.

Kaitlyn Kopke’s layup sparked a 19-5 Hope run over the next four minutes. A 3-pointer by Jordyn Boles and layup from Ellen Wood lifted the Dutch to a 21-point lead with 7:53 left in the half. After the teams exchanged baskets, the Dutch closed the half with a 13-4 run.

Free throws by Becky Bosserd and Kate Reincke gave Hope a 51-20 lead at the break.

The Dutch shot 64 percent from the floor and constantly attacked the post. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs were held to 24 percent shooting in the half.

A triple by Nichole Roose gave Adrian a spark early in the second half, and layups by Olech pulled the Bulldogs to within 55-27 four minutes in. Roose hit a pair of free throws three minutes later, cutting the deficit to 29, but Kopke answered with a layup seconds later.

Hope took its biggest lead of the game with six minutes remaining as Kimmy Gordon’s layup made it 79-43. Both teams cleared their benches and traded baskets the rest of the way.

For the game, the Bulldogs shot 27 percent and committed 28 turnovers. Hope also held a 44-32 advantage in rebounding.

Olech scored 12 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead the Bulldogs. Priscilla Yeagley added nine points and six rebounds, while Perrin had seven points for Adrian.

Three players scored in double figures for Hope. Boles led the way with 14 points, while Wood added 13 points. Stacy Warsen scored 11 points and Lindsay Lange had seven points and seven rebounds. Philana Greene grabbed six rebounds for the Dutch.

The Bulldogs will return to action Feb. 3 when they travel to Olivet College. Adrian scored a 65-56 victory over the Comets in the teams’ first meeting Jan. 6.