A seesaw first half gave way to a dominating third quarter as the Hope College women's basketball team remained undefeated by beating the Alma College Scots, 66-52. The road win moves the nationally-ranked Flying Dutch to 3-0 in the MIAA and 8-0 on the season.
Ranked #7 in the nation by both D3Hoops and the WBCA Coaches poll, the Flying Dutch led at halftime, 34-26, and used a solid 21-point third-quarter performance to move decisively away from the Scots. Hope led by as many as 22 points in the second half.
The starting lineup propelled the team offensively as three starters finished in double figures with Francesca Buchanan of Grant, Michigan (Sparta HS) leading Hope's scorers with 14 points, followed by Angelique Gaddy of Caledonia, Michigan (Grand Rapids South Christian HS) with 13 and Madison Geers of Scottville, Michigan (Mason County Central HS) with 11.
A total of eight Hope players entered the scoring column.
Hope shot 40 percent from the field for the game compared to Alma's 38.6 percent. From the three-point arc, the Flying Dutch made seven of 18 for a respectable 38.9 percent.
The loss puts Alma at 0-2 in the MIAA and 1-5 overall.