Free yet from the difficult news soon to come, the No. 1 Hope College women's basketball team rose to the occasion during a matchup of top-ranked and unbeaten rivals at DeVos Fieldhouse on Wednesday.

The Flying Dutch took command in the first quarter to set the stage for a 61-52 victory against No. 5 Trine.

Shortly before tipoff, the NCAA announced that the 2021 Division III winter championships had been canceled due to low participation numbers among member schools amid the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Head coach Brian Morehouse informed his team of the decision after the game. Last March, the Flying Dutch's national tournament run ended in the sectional round because of the pandemic.

"It's heartbreaking," Morehouse said. "I've been to Final Fours. We've won a national championship. I know what it takes. I wanted that for these kids, and I think that they were good enough to do it. 

"We had people talk within our circle after the game to their teammates. It doesn't renew my faith in athletics, women and men in college, it just only reinforces what I already know. These are incredible human beings here. They also happen to be amazing basketball players. They're incredible human beings. The things that were said after the game would make any parent swell up with pride."

On the court, Hope (5-0 overall) excelled from the opening tip en route to its 34th consecutive victory.

Against the MIAA's stingiest defense, the Flying Dutch jumped to an 18-6 lead before the second quarter arrived. Senior forward Ashleigh Thomas (Shelby Township, Michigan/Lutheran North) led the change by scoring nine of her 12 points for the game. She went 3-of-4 from the field.

Trine had allowed an average of 35.0 points per game to its first opponents from the MIAA this season.

Defensively, Thomas also grabbed two steals to contribute to a defensive effort that limited Trine to 14.3 percent field-goal shooting (2-14) during the first 10 minutes of play.

Trine (5-1 overall) never got closer than six points the remainder of the game. 

"Big Game Ash, that's what we call her. She was a huge reason for our win," Morehouse said. "They help off her, and it's Ashleigh to the rescue, knocking down a 3, Ashleigh to the rescue, go get a bucket on a drive."

Thomas had plenty of help from her teammates, too.

Sophomore guard Ella McKinney (Haslett, Michigan/Haslett) scored a career-high 15 points. She came off the bench to sink a 3-pointer in each quarter, including two over the final 10 minutes.

"She went home last summer and worked," Morehouse said, referring to McKinney's improvement after splitting time between varsity and junior varsity last season. "Ella has been playing well since last fall, just getting more comfortable and stepping into the opportunity."

Senior center Olivia Voskuil recorded her double-digit scoring game of the season for the Flying Dutch with 10 points. 

Senior guard Kenedy Schoonveld (Zeeland, Michigan/Holland Christian) added nine points — all during the second half.

Hope limited Trine to a season-low 33.9 percent from the field (20-59). Kaylee Argyle (11 points off the bench) and Kayla Wildman (10 points) topped Trine.

The Flying Dutch are scheduled to return to action on Saturday, February 6 at Kalamazoo College. Tipoff is 3 p.m.