A DeVos Fieldhouse shooting record fell as the Hope College women's basketball team clinched an outright Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association championship by defeating Trine University 90-40 on Saturday.
"MIAA championships are special because once they're in the books, they're in indelible ink," Hope coach Brian Morehouse said. "It's not a co-championship, it's an outright championship and that makes it even more special."
Hope's 11th outright MIAA title and 14th league championship overall came in front of a DeVos Fieldhouse crowd of 1,346. Ten of the outright titles and 12 of the overall championships have come since the 1999-2000 season.
"To run the table like we have up to this point, and to be a championship team, is very meaningful," Morehouse said. "We had a lot of new players. We had a lot of new players playing different positions, and yet through it all, we were resilient and determined. That's what's led to a championship."
The nationally ranked Flying Dutch set a DeVos Fieldhouse mark with 13 3-pointers made while improving to 23-0 overall and 15-0 in MIAA play.
Freshman forward Mandy Traversa of Winfield, Ill. (Wheaton North HS) scored a career-high 17 points to lead Hope. She sank a career-high five 3-pointers in eight attempts.
Traversa matched the Hope record for 3-pointers made by a single Flying Dutch player at DeVos Fieldhouse. She equaled Bria Ebels (2006), Jordyn Boles (2007) and Liz Ellis (2012).
The Flying Dutch made 13 3-pointers as a team at a 54.2 percent clip (13-of-18). Hope broke the team record for 3-pointers at DeVos Fieldhouse of 12 that was set against Trine (then Tri-State) during an 81-52 win on Feb. 26, 2008.
It was Hope's second-highest number of 3-pointers this season, trailing 15 at Kalamazoo on February 5.
Sophomore Maura McAfee of Midland (Midland HS) posted her 11th double of the season with 10 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.
Hope is ranked No. 2 in the USA Today Sports NCAA Division III Coaches Poll and No. 3 by d3hoops.com.
The Flying Dutch have two home games remaining in the regular season: Wednesday, Feb. 19, vs. Albion College and Saturday, Feb. 22, against Rochester College.