Wednesday: Trine ends Hope's streak

More news about: Hope | Trine
Jan 26, 2022
 
No. 4 Trine celebrates at DeVos Fieldhouse on Wednesday night after defeating top-ranked Hope. 
Photo by Lynne Powe, Hope College
 

Hope may be eternal but its winning streak is not. No. 4 Trine rode a strong start and clutch free throw shooting to a 70-62 win over the Flying Dutch, ending their 61-game winning streak. 

After losing seven straight to Hope, Trine got off to a fast start on Wednesday night. The Thunder scored eight of the game’s first 10 points and led 36-26 at the break. Trine led by double-digits for much of the third quarter and still held a 10-point advantage early in the fourth quarter when Meg Morehouse sparked a 6-0 run for Hope and pulled the Flying Dutch within four at 57-53.

The Flying Dutch cut the lead down to two, 64-62, on Morehouse’s free throw with 44 seconds but Trine’s Rachel Stewart responded with four free throws sandwiched around a Hope turnover. Tara Bieniewicz capped the Thunder’s victory with two more free throws, giving her a game-high 18 points.

Trine (13-2, 7-1 MIAA) shot 49 percent from the field (25 for 51) and hit 10 three-pointers, led by Bieniewicz who had four. Trine won despite being outrebounded by 12 and committing 27 turnovers. Rachel Stewart added 16 points and six steals for Trine, which now shares first place with the Flying Dutch.

Hope (16-1, 8-1 MIAA) used its traditional 10-player rotation and got 38 points from its reserves, including 14 from Morehouse. But the Flying Dutch made just three of its 20 three-point attemmpts.

The loss is Hope’s first since falling in the second round of the 2019 NCAA Tournament at Wartburg. The 61-game streak ties for third longest in Division III women’s basketball history. The 81-game winning streak that Washington U. had from 1998-2001 remains Division III's longest.

The longest active streak in Division III basketball now belongs to No. 2 Christopher Newport, which has won 33 in a row. The Captains host Mary Washington on Saturday.

Hope was not the only undefeated team to fall on Wednesday night.

Christina Antonakakis errupted for 44 points and MIT held off No. 15 Springfield, 76-72, knocking the Pride off the list of teams with perfect records. The Engineers (7-7, 3-1 NEWMAC) held Springfield to 22 points in the first half but needed late free throws to hold off the Pride's late charge. Sam Hourihan had a double-double (22 points, 12 rebounds) for Springfield (16-1, 2-1 NEWMAC). 

Those losses leave five undefeated teams. No. 3 Transylvania stayed on that list by blasting Manchester, 64-36. The other four unbeaten teams -- No. 2 Christopher Newport, No. 7 New York University, Roger Williams and Webster -- were idle on Wednesday night.

No. 5 Simpson started a big week with a win at home over third-place Loras, 81-74. The Storm took the lead on Cameron Kincaid's three-pointer midway through the fourth quarter, which ignited an 8-0 run for Simpson (16-1, 8-0 ARC). Kincaid's capped that run with a layup that put the Storm in front, 75-69. She finished with 21 points and Anna Wanek scored 22 more for Simpson, which goes to second-place Wartburg on Saturday. The Knights will enter that game coming off a loss because Dubuque knocked off No. 12 Wartburg in overtime, 68-62.

UW-Oshkosh fell out of the Top 25, but the Titans are still a factor in the WIAC title chase. They defeated No. 16 UW-Eau Claire, 60-53, behind Nikki Arneson's strong night. She scored 22 points, including four 3-pointers, and grabbed six rebounds in 29 minutes for the Titans (13-4, 3-3 WIAC). No. 9 UW-Whitewater now leads the Blugolds by two games in the WIAC standings after topping UW-Stevens Point, 74-69, in double overtime. Johanna Taylor scored a career-high 24 points and blocked four shots, making her the Warhawks all-time leader in that category.

No. 24 Messiah continued its resurgence with a 61-49 victory at Albright. All-American Leah Springer scored 32 points on 13-for-21 shooting for the Falcons (15-2, 8-1 MACC) who have won nine straight. Messiah travels to MAC Commonwealth leader York (Pa.) on Saturday.

Augsburg extended its winning streak to not-so-unlucky 13 by beating Bethel, 67-57. Anja Smith scored 19 points off the bench for the Auggies (13-3, 13-0 MIAC).

Washington and Lee edged Randolph-Macon, 52-49, and the Generals captured first place in the ODAC for themselves. Hannah Malik paced Washington and Lee (12-3, 9-0 ODAC) with 16 points. The Generals now have a half-game lead in the ODAC standings over Roanoke which beat Ferrum, 73-65.

On the same night that Division III's longest winning streak ended, so did a long losing streak. St. Scholastica topped St. Catherine, 61-55, ending its 27-game losing streak that dated back to February 2020. The Saints' win is also their first as a MIAC member.