Brian Morehouse thanked his Hope College women's basketball players in a victorious post-game locker room.

Without their faith in him and his fellow coaches, the Flying Dutch might have not beat Bethel, Minnesota 75-63 in their NCAA Division III Tournament opener Friday in Wheaton, Illinois.

"One of the first things I said to them was 'Thank you for trusting your coaches and our substitution patterns and our switches in offense during the game,'" Morehouse said. "Without that trust, the tweaks we do don't work. I thought we had great interaction with our players and our coaches. I thought (the coaches) kept our calm amidst their comeback. I thought our kids responded with similar calm."

No. 13-ranked Hope (24-4 overall) won its first meeting against Bethel (21-7) to advance to Saturday's second-round game against Wisconsin Lutheran at Wheaton. Tipoff is 7 p.m. Central.

Wisconsin Lutheran (24-4) upset No. 10 Wheaton 70-67 in overtime in Friday's second game. Hope topped Wisconsin Lutheran in a NCAA Tournament first-round game last season.

Junior Maura McAfee of Midland, Michigan (Midland HS), led the Flying Dutch against Bethel with a game-high 22 points and 11 rebounds. She shot 68.6 percent from the field (11-of-16).

It was not difficult for McAfee and her teammates to buy in to what the coaches were saying, she said.

"Our offensive energy is reliant on everyone being one unit, everyone being on the same page," McAfee said. "We just bought in really well to what they were saying. I thought that was huge tonight, getting everyone on the same page. I think it makes everything flow smoother."

McAfee's fourth 20-point game of the season gave her 939 points for her career.

McAfee's sixth consecutive game with double-digit rebounds gave her 298 for her career — a single-season school record. Amanda Kerkstra held the previous mark with 290 during the 2002-03 season.

McAfee, who now has 15 double-doubles this season, also excelled at defending Bethel's leading scorer, Morehouse said. Kelli Zimmermann totaled 17 points but on 35.3 percent shooting (6-of-17).

Senior Rebekah Llorens of Grayslake, Illinois (Grayslake Central HS), chipped in 18 points and 10 rebounds for her sixth double-double of the season.

Sophomore guard Paris Madison of Grand Rapids, Michigan (Christian HS), matched her career high with nine points off the bench. She produced all her points in the first half to help Hope take a 38-30 halftime lead.

The Flying Dutch now are 11-5 in NCAA Tournament openers.