HOLLAND, Mich.—The No. 22 Trine women's basketball team won its first Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association title in program history on Saturday afternoon with a win at No. 8 Hope, 70-53.
Trine's MIAA title is the first conference title to be won outright by a school other than Calvin or Hope since Alma claimed the honor in 1992.
The Thunder held Hope to 28 points below its season scoring average. The win is just the second time that Trine has been victorious over the Flying Dutch in school history.
The Thunder finishes the regular season with an overall record of 22-2, which is the highest win total for Trine since 24 in the 1996-97 season. The Thunder was 15-1 against MIAA opponents. Hope moves to 22-3 overall and 14-2 in conference action. The Thunder handed the Flying Dutch only their seventh overall loss at DeVos Fieldhouse. Hope is now 93-4 at home against the MIAA.
Hayley Martin (Auburn, Ind./DeKalb) and Brandi Dawson (Garrett, Ind./Garrett) combined to score 43 points for the Thunder with 22 and 21, respectively. Martin added five blocks and two steals with a team-high eight rebounds. The junior broke the Trine school record for blocks with 58 this season. Dawson grabbed three steals, four rebounds and two assists. Senior Taylor Cole (Mt. Pleasant, Mich./Shepherd) helped with six assists and four rebounds. Cassidy Williams (Archbold, Ohio/Archbold) added nine points with four rebounds.
Hope was led by Francesca Buchanan with 20 points. Madison Geers contributed 10 points and five rebounds. Mandy Traversa led the Flying Dutch with six rebounds and notched six points.
Martin put the Thunder on the board 19 seconds into the game with a three pointer and Dawson added a layup to put Trine up 5-0 in the first minute. The Thunder would hold on to its lead for the remainder of the game. Trine held a 23-12 advantage after the first quarter. Dawson led with eight points, while Tashayla Sutorius (Fort Wayne, Wayne) added six. Geers paced Hope with five points.
The Thunder led Hope by as many as 18 points in the second quarter, but the Flying Dutch came back to shrink the lead to 14 heading into halftime. Trine outscored Hope 14-12 in the quarter. Martin led Trine with six points, while Dawson added five to her total. Geers grabbed another five for Hope, while Buchanan made four.
Hope and Trine traded points back and forth in the third quarter with the Thunder holding a slight 12-11 advantage after 10 minutes. Martin and Dawson each added four points. Buchanan scored 10 points for the Flying Dutch.
Hope went on a seven point run early in the fourth quarter, but Martin squashed their momentum sinking a three-pointer. Hope came within eight points of Trine three times in the quarter, but the Thunder continued its momentum to outscore the Flying Dutch 21-18 to seal the victory. Martin totaled nine points for Trine, while Williams scored six. Tyra Smith led Hope with five points.
The Thunder will play host to the MIAA Tournament for the first time this weekend. Trine will take on fourth seeded Albion at 7:30 on Friday in Hershey Hall. Calvin will play Hope in the first game at 5:30 p.m.