A block for the ages.
That's what Keegan Kaiser, the undisputed queen defender of the nationally-ranked Flying Dutch, was subbed into the game to do with 16 seconds left in a one-possession Rivalry game.
Kaiser's block, which came on the same play that brought Calvin within three of Hope's lead, sealed a win 60-57 and kept the Flying Dutch's firm grasp on the MIAA title chase.
Teammate and Hope's leading scorer over Calvin, sophomore Sydney Vis, mentioned how proud she was of Kaiser in that moment.
"It was amazing. I was so proud of her," Vis said. "She is one of our, if not our, best defender. It was super exciting seeing her get that block."
Hope improved to 19-1 overall and 11-0 in league play. With five games remaining, the Flying Dutch hold a three-game lead over second-place Calvin and Trine University.
The win extended Hope's streak in The Rivalry to a school-record 18 consecutive wins and trimmed Calvin's lead to 71-66. But it did not ome without a fight.
Hope jumped to a 10-2 lead and stretched it to 21-10 by the end of the first quarter.
Calvin (14-6, 8-3 MIAA) marched back in the second half, bringing the game as close as five points in the fourth quarter and to a three-point game with 25 seconds remaining.
The Knights attempt a three-pointer in from the far corner, hoping to finish their comeback, but Associate Head Coach Courtney Kust had other plans as she sent in Kaiser (New Albany, Indiana / Floyd Central HS) to the game.
"While I was subbing in, [Courtney] pulled me aside and told me where the play was going to be and I wanted to get to that corner," Kaiser said of the final seconds of the game on defense. "I trusted my coach and got the tip on the ball because she knew what was going on. It was a great play, but we had a lot of moments that were key."
Hope held on to its lead, of which the the Flying Dutch had for just under 40 minutes of play at Van Noord Arena.
"I have been lucky enough to have been part of this rivalry since I was 19. I am 55 now and it is still amazing. You never take them for granted," head coach Brian Morehouse said. "It was really high-level basketball going at it. We are fortunate to come out of here with a win."
Vis (Byron Center, Michigan / South Christian) finished as the only Hope player in double figures, snagging 16 points for a team-high.
Freshman Terin Maynard (Grand Rapids, Michigan / Jenison) put up nine points for Hope. Junior Jada Garner (Midland, Michigan / H.H. Dow) chipped in eight points and a game-high five assists.
Junior Olivia Bellows (Lake City, Michigan / Lake City) grabbed a team-high six rebounds.
Calvin put three in double figures in the battle as Anna Fernandez scored 17 points. Katelyn LaRue had 13 points. RyAnn Rohrer put in 10 points.
Hope finished 38.1% from the field, while Calvin shot 36.1%.
The Flying Dutch welcome Saint Mary's College (Ind.) to DeVos Fieldhouse on Wednesday, Jan. 31, at 7 p.m.