ANGOLA, Ind. – The Trine University women's basketball team came up short on Saturday afternoon to the outright Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) champions, #6 Hope College, by a score of 73-58. The Thunder are now 16-7 overall and 10-4 inside the conference, falling back into a tie for second spot in the league standings. The Flying Dutch sit at 22-1 and are undefeated at 14-0 in the MIAA.
Hope was dominant on the glass with a 48-30 advantage in rebounds and 17 on the offensive end of the floor. Hope also buried 11 shots from deep to get ahead on the scoreboard despite fairly even shooting totals (39.0% for the Thunder and 38.7% for the Flying Dutch). Trine held their own inside and won the paint battle, 32-24.
Sidney Wagner was active on the floor with team-highs in points with 12, rebounds with six, assists with three and steals with five. Erin Sherwood matched Wagner in scoring with 12 points herself. Allison Capouch buried three shots from downtown for nine points.
The Flying Dutch claimed an early lead at 7-2 and ballooned the lead to double figures at 16-6 before Head Coach Andy Rang used a timeout to regroup with 2:03 remaining in the first quarter. Sherwood had five points late in the frame, but Hope led 19-11 at the buzzer.
The second quarter was the best of the afternoon for Trine as they would win the period 23-14 to take a lead into the halftime break. The Thunder were 10-of-19 from the field and held the Flying Dutch to 4-of-17. Katie Tate, Abby Sanner and Jada Rhonehouse each scored during a 6-0 run for the home team to begin the second. Consecutive makes by Wagner and Sherwood allowed Trine to go in front for the first time at 23-21 at the halfway point. Hope would answer on the offensive end of the floor, but points on the final four possessions for the Thunder made it 34-33.
Sierra Hinds picked up where she left off in the first half with a three-point field goal to extend the lead to four, but ten straight points came in a flash for the Flying Dutch to seize momentum. Three-point plays by Sherwood and Capouch later on brought the game back to even at 45 apiece with one minute and change to play in the third, but a three by Hope made it 48-45 with one quarter remaining.
The Flying Dutch had a strong start to the period that helped carry them to the victory. Hope scored 25 points in the quarter on 8-of-16 from the field and four made three-point tries to nab the win 73-58. An Alexis Snodgrass make off an offensive rebound would be the team's only points in the final four minutes of court time.
The Thunder will celebrate their lone senior Chelsi Giesige in the team's final home game on Wednesday, February 14 when Trine hosts The University of Olivet beginning at 5:30 p.m.