ALBION – Put some respect on their names.
Dominant from the opening tip, the Albion College women's basketball team knocked off No. 4/No. 5 and defending National Champion, Hope College, 69-53. Albion led by as many as 22 points, held off a late flurry by the Flying Dutch and picked up their biggest win of the season.
The 53 points is the lowest Hope has scored this year, and the lowest since last season's game at Albion (51). This was also Hope's largest loss since March 2019 in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament, as the Flying Dutch never led in the contest.
With no answer for Daniah Beavers, the junior led the Brits with 17 points and 10 rebounds, turning in her fourth double-double of the season. Classmate Riley Davis contributed 16 points and two blocks, including an impressive 6-7 mark from the foul line. Both Elena Welker and Lolo Reed scored 11 points in the victory. Reed had a complete stat line, bringing down seven rebounds and dishing out a game-best five assists.
Just one minute and 21 seconds into the game, Beavers made a bucket that put the Britons up for the rest of the contest. Boosted by five straight by Davis, Albion jumped out to a 12-2 advantage. At the end of the first quarter, the Britons were up 17-12.
Albion tacked onto its lead, opening up the second quarter on an 8-0 run to build their lead back to double digits. In that stretch, Davis was fouled on a 3-point attempt, draining all three foul shots to swing the momentum in favor of the hosts. As time ticked away in the first half, Davis had a block at the Hope end of the floor, preserving Albion's 31-18 lead at halftime.
With 4:47 remaining in the third, Cierra Cole found Welker who buried a trey to build the Briton lead to 18 points. Two possessions later, Becca Ross drained a triple from the corner to push the lead to 22. Ross finished with nine points in her first game back in nearly a month.
After Ross's triple, the Flying Dutch began pressing the Britons. Hope was able to force Albion into turnovers and poor decisions, making a small run and gaining momentum heading into the fourth. With one period to go, the Britons led by 19, but everyone could feel the momentum shifting. Hope's pressure started to pick up in the fourth quarter, trimming the lead all the way down to single digits. With 5:22 to play, the Flying Dutch knocked down a triple to cut the lead to nine.
Undaunted, at the other end of the court, Davis pushed the momentum right back to the Brits, nailing a three from the corner. Davis's shot put Albion ahead by double digits – for good.
Hope struggled offensively, connecting on just 27 percent of its shots. The Flying Dutch were rattled by the phenomenal on-ball defense by Cole, as well as a powerful paint presence from Beavers, Davis and Audrey DeWaters. DeWaters hauled in seven rebounds for the Brits.
The visitors received just one point from the bench, compared to Albion's 12, led by Ross's nine.
Albion improves to 11-4 overall, 6-1 in the MIAA. Hope slips to 14-2, 5-2 in league action.
The task will continue to get tougher for the Britons, as they head to No. 11 Trine on Wednesday. Tip off against the Thunder is slated for 7:30 p.m.