It's hard to beat a few good nights in the land of the Knights, especially when the final one is a crowning achievement.

The Hope College men's basketball team is NCAA Division III Tournament bound again after knocking off top-seeded Calvin University, 61-54, in the championship game of the MIAA Tournament on Saturday.

The Flying Dutchmen's third victory in 10 days at the Knights' Van Noord Arena earned the MIAA's automatic berth to the national tourney. The field is announced on Monday, Feb. 27, at 1 p.m. on NCAA.com.

"It certainly wasn't easy," head coach Greg Mitchell said after Hope held off a late charge from Calvin and claimed the MIAA Tournament crown by dispatching the two higher seeds in two days: the Knights and Trine University.

"I could not be happier for our guys with all that we've been through," Mitchell said. "These guys never wavered. We're still dancing next week."

Freshman guard Marcus Wourman (East Lansing, Michigan / East Lansing HS) topped the Flying Dutchmen (19-9 overall) with a career-high-tying total of 18 points off the bench. Senior forward Evan Thomas (Okemos, Michigan / Okemos) chipped in 14 during The Rivalry's 210th game. The Flying Dutchmen lead the all-time series, 109-101.

Hope returns to the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season and 29th overall time overall. The Flying Dutchmen are streaking, too, winners of six games in a row, including a 65-57 regular-season victory at Calvin on February 15 and a 67-56 semifinal win against Trine on Friday. 

Faded are the memories of season-low points scored during a 56-43 defeat to Trine on February 8 at DeVos Fieldhouse as well an 81-49 loss to Calvin on January 11 at home. The losses helped deny the preseason favorites in the MIAA a shot at a regular-season repeat.

Instead, Hope made history, capturing an MIAA Tournament championship for the first time as a No. 3 seed. The Flying Dutchmen won three games in three days to accomplish the feat after a statewide ice storm moved Thursday's quarterfinals back a day from Wednesday.

Two of the victories came on the road, improving Hope's record away from DeVos Fieldhouse this season to 11-3.

"A season is all about belief," Mitchell said. "I typically tell the teams I coach as you get to the last third of the season, it's separation time. You have to decide if you're going to compete like warriors or just participate and let the end affect you. These guys took the right path from a practice standpoint and obviously from a defensive standpoint. We've guarded so much harder the past month. We separated to the championship side of the season."

"We went from obscurity to prosperity, and we're not done yet. These guys are going to be a tough out because they don't want to lose. They want to keep playing together."

The Flying Dutchmen have not allowed more than 63 points in the last six games.

Despite early foul trouble, Hope held Calvin (22-5) to 28.0% shooting from the field (14-50) and a season-low in points. The Knights equaled their total from a 54-47 win vs. Trine on January 21.

After building a 34-22 halftime lead, the Flying Dutchmen expanded their lead to as many as 16 points. Calvin battled back, scoring 20 points over the final 7 ½ minutes. Led by freshman center and MIAA MVP Jalen Overway, the Knights pulled within three points with 39 seconds remaining.

Overway scored a game-high 22 points, limited to 33.3% shooting from the field (3-9). Overway made all but one of 17 free-throw attempts. Marcus Bolt had 14 points for Calvin.

Bolt buried a 3-pointer to cut Hope's lead to 57-54. Following a Hope timeout, Calvin quickly fouled and sent the Flying Dutchmen to the line, where they had missed five of their previous eight attempts.

Wourman coolly sank both of his foul shots, then two more with 10 seconds remaining following a Tanner Wiegerink block on the other end.

"I just tried to stay poised," Wourman said after matching his scoring output from a season-opening victory against the University of Wisconsin-Stout. "I really tried to be confident, now showing I was a freshman, playing like I was a senior."

Wourman finished shooting 55.6% from the field (5-9) and 100 percent from the foul line (6-6). He made two of Hope's seven 3-pointers.