An opposing All-American center commanded the full attention of a Hope College men's basketball team still not at a 100 percent.

Missing one starting forward and one reserve forward, the Flying Dutchmen worked together to claim an 84-77 victory against Ohio Northern University on Tuesday in the home opener at DeVos Fieldhouse.

Hope improved to 2-1 overall after rebounding from a 73-55 loss to Simpson College (Iowa) in the championship game of the North Park University Tournament Saturday in Chicago.

The Flying Dutchmen overcame 26 points and 66.7-percent field-goal shooting from 6-8 Ohio Northern standout Ryan Bruns, who went 12-of-18 from the field.

"That was an extremely big win for Hope. That's a really good basketball team that puts you in tough positions," head coach Greg Mitchell said of the Polar Bears. "They have a center that's that good and efficient is hard to guard. We talked about playing as hard as we could together and loving on each other. No matter what happens just make the next play."

Senior guard Jason Beckman of Shelby, Michigan (Shelby HS) scored a game-high 33 points for Hope. He ranks sixth for the most points by a Flying Dutchmen player at DeVos Fieldhouse.