After grabbing the lead early in the first half and extending it to as many as 12 points in both halves, it appeared that the Hope men's basketball team might once again complete an improbable league tournament run.

But the Flying Dutchmen went cold in the final 20 minutes, making just 7 of their 29 field goal attempts. No 15-ranked Calvin University held Hope to just 18 second-half points and survived a last-second Parker Hovey desperation 3-point attempt in claiming the MIAA tournament title with a 62-59 win on Saturday in Grand Rapids.

The loss snapped an 11-game winning streak in the MIAA Tournament, the second-longest in team history. Hope completed its season with a 16-12 mark. 

"Right now, the biggest thing is that I hurt so much for our six seniors and really everybody," Hope head coach Greg Mitchell said. "That's as devastated a locker room as I've been in in a long time, maybe ever, because these guys just invest so much. It's really hard."  

Hope fell behind 13-9 after a 3-point play from Calvin's Owen Varnado but stormed back with 3's by Hovey (Shelby, Michigan / Hart HS) and Simon Neuhaus (Grand Rapids, Michigan / East Grand Rapids), as well as a long jumper from junior guard Marcus Wourman (Lansing, Michigan / East Lansing) to take a 17-13 lead. 

Wourman went 3-for-3 from behind the arc in the first half, helping the Flying Dutchmen to a 41-32 halftime advantage.

"I was just trying to stay poised," Wourman said of his first-half outburst. "We kind of came out really hard, but we just didn't sustain it [in the second half]. It's been a little tough in that locker room because all we've known is winning [in the tournament]. We've just kept saying 'We get another 40' and we thought we were going to get another 40 by winning this one. That's one of the tough things because we really thought we were going to win this game. I'm just so happy to be a part of this team. We've had a lot of struggles and a lot of injuries, but the way that we've fought has been undeniable. I'm just really proud of these guys."

Freshman forward Charles Howell (Cadillac, Michigan / Cadillac) Camade a layup with just under 16 minutes remaining in the game to put Hope up 48-36. But Varnado started heating up for Calvin, scoring nine of his game-high 24 points in a 15-2 run to give the Knights their first lead of the game at 51-50 with 7:55 left to play.

Wourman drained a 25-footer for his first points of the second half to put Hope back in front, but the Flying Dutchman scored only six more points over the final seven-plus minutes of the game. 

Senior center Gabe Quillan's free throw with 1:21 left tied the game one last time at 59, but Trevin Winkle hit a tough shot in the lane over Quillan (Ada, Michigan / Grand Rapids Catholic Central) with just over a minute to go and Calvin led by three as Hope got the ball with 34 seconds to play. 

Hovey got a decent look from behind the 3-point line with six seconds left and one final chance to tie the game at the buzzer, but both shots were off the mark.

"Our first half effort and energy was next level," Mitchell said. "Obviously that's why it hurts. In the second half, the offensive flow wasn't there as much. They're a very good defensive team and things just didn't seem to go our way in a lot of 50-50 situations. We were stuck on 50 (points) for what seemed like a day and a half. Offensive putbacks, some calls or whatever just didn't seem to go the way that we wanted them to go. (Calvin) kind of just chipped away at the lead and made some good plays down the stretch, so credit to them. 

Regarding what he said to his team after the game, Mitchell said, "I was kind of at a loss for words because I didn't expect it (to lose). We were so determined to find a way to win and I think that's how we played. We've just gotta circle up and appreciate getting to this level of the season. What a great group of young men."

Wourman made all four of his 3-point attempts to lead Hope with 22 points and eight rebounds. Quillan fought through early foul trouble to score 14 points in his final game for the Flying Dutchmen. Hovey chipped in eight points, eight rebounds, and six assists.

Winkle scored 13 and Parker Swartz added 10 for Calvin (21-6). It was the Knights' 20th consecutive win. The Knights (21-6) earned the MIAA's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament and will find out their first-round opponent and location on Monday, March 3.