HOLLAND, Mich.-- Trine's bid for a NCAA Tournament bid came to an end in the MIAA Tournament Championship, as the Thunder fell to Hope 75-58 Saturday night in DeVos Fieldhouse.
The Flying Dutch pulled away late to earn the victory, outscoring the Thunder 23-12 in the final quarter after Trine had kept pace throughout most of the afternoon. MIAA Most Valuable Player Maura McAfee paced Hope with a double-double, scoring 16 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. The sixth-ranked Flying Dutch have won three of the last four conference tournament titles. Cassidy Williams (Archbold, Ohio/Archbold) scored a career-high 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting to lead the offensive attack for the Thunder.
All-MIAA Second Team performer Hayley Martin (Auburn, Ind./DeKalb) scored 12 points for Trine on 5-of-10 shooting. The sophomore added seven rebounds and blocked three shots. The Thunder shot 44 percent from the field (23-of-52).
Angelique Gaddy matched McAfee's 16 points to pace Hope. The Flying Dutch outscored the Thunder 42-28 in the paint. Hope's 75 points were the most allowed by Trine since Jan. 6. The Dutch shot 46.6 percent (27-of-58) from the field and hit 19-of-23 (83 percent) of their free throw attempts.
The Thunder never led in the contest, but were able to fight back into the game after falling behind 19-11 after a quarter. Trine outscored Hope 12-6 over the first 5:02 of the second quarter to pull within 25-23. Four points each by Alivia Recker (Arlington, Ohio/Arlington) and Taylor Cole (Mount Pleasant, Mich./Shepherd) led the Thunder back into the contest.
Williams and Martin helped Trine keep the game tight throughout the third quarter as the duo combined for 15 points in the quarter. Williams did the bulk of her damage off drives to the basket and added a pull-up three from the top of the key. Martin showed off her array of low-post scoring moves in the quarter.
A 12-4 surge to start the fourth quarter allowed Hope to extend its lead to 64-50 and give the Dutch breathing room. Hope showed off its depth with five different players scoring during that stretch. Trine was unable to get closer than 14 the rest of the way.
The Thunder wrap up its season 19-9 overall, having earned its most wins as a member of NCAA Division III. Trine won eight-straight games to reach the MIAA Championship game for the first time, including two wins over nationally-ranked conference foe Calvin.