ANGOLA, Ind. – For the second straight week, the Trine University women's basketball team has climbed the D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll and now sits at #16 in NCAA DIII ahead of their matchup with #1 Hope College this weekend.
Last week, the Thunder were victorious over Olivet College in their only game by a lopsided score of 81-34. Katie Tate and Addison Hutson led the team in scoring with 11 points apiece and Abby Sanner chipped in with 10 points. Trine had 26 assists on 31 made field goals, a season-high mark for the team, and only two away from the school record of 28 set in 1995. The Thunder are now 6-2 overall and undefeated in Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) action at 3-0. After two home games, Trine hits the road on Saturday, December 17 to face the unbeaten Flying Dutch at 9-0.
This will be the 49th meeting between the two teams dating back to Trine (then Tri-State) joining the MIAA in the 2004-05 season. The Thunder have just seven wins against Hope all-time, but six of those victories have come since 2017. Last season, Trine's staple win of the year came inside DeVos Fieldhouse on January 26, 2022 when the Thunder snapped the Flying Dutch's NCAA-best 61-game winning streak, 70-62. Along with the home-and-home regular season series, Trine and Hope met in the MIAA Championship game and NCAA Division III National Championship Semifinal game as well last year, fueling the fire to this rivalry.
Tip-off between the #16 Thunder and #1 Flying Dutch is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Saturday, December 17.