On Senior Day at DeVos Fieldhouse Saturday afternoon, the Hope College women's basketball team put on a long-range shooting display unrivaled in the program's history, as the Flying Dutch clinched another Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association championship.

Eleven seconds into the game, senior forward Claire Baguley of Ada, Michigan (Forest Hills Central) sank a 3-point basket.

On the next possession, fifth-year senior forward Kate Majerus of Sycamore, Illinois (Sycamore) hit a 3-pointer.

Then senior guard Ella McKinley of Haslett, Michigan (Haslett) poured in a triple. Baguley hit a second 3-pointer. Then senior center Savannah Feenstra of Osceola, Indiana (NorthWood) hit one.

Hope couldn't miss. It was 19-0 with the game barely three minutes old.

The Flying Dutch shot a sizzling 94 percent (16 of 17) from the field in the first quarter, including a perfect 9 of 9 on 3-pointers, to take a 41-7 lead. They went on to trounce Kalamazoo College 108-41 to clinch their 21^st MIAA title in school history and lock up the top seed for next week's conference tournament.

"What an incredible start. I don't think you could have scripted that start any better," Hope coach Brian Morehouse said after the game. "They play so well together. The level of trust that those women have for each other and the feel for where each other on the court is incredible. They literally throw the ball without even looking because they know where their teammate is."

Baguley, Majerus, McKinney, Feenstra and senior guard Meg Morehouse of Zeeland, Michigan (Zeeland East) were honored before the game for their contributions to the women's basketball program. Saturday's win was the 100^th for this class against just three losses in a career that included a pandemic and last year's national championship run.

"I have never known a senior class this well. They live together, they come over to the house, we go to Italy and their parents come, too. I love every senior class, but the depth I know this class is different," Brian Morehouse said. "And I know what they have sacrificed. When those three super seniors came back last year, these girls missed out on starting spots last year and scoring 1,000 points in their careers. And they never blinked. They wanted another year with those friends."

The Flying Dutch, who came into the game leading all NCAA Division III schools in field goal percentage and 3-point field goal percentage, hit a DeVos Fieldhouse record 21 3-pointers in the game for 55 percent. The 21 triples are the second most in a single game by a Division III team all season. Hope shot 55.6 percent from the floor (40 of 72) for the game.

Hope led 55-15 at halftime and 83-28 after three quarters as the Flying Dutch finished 14-2 in the MIAA, sharing the conference title with Trine University. Hope (23-2) gained the top seed and home-court advantage for the MIAA tournament by virtue of posting a perfect 8-0 record in the second half of the conference season, avenging earlier losses to Trine and Albion College.

While Saturday was about the seniors, some of the underclassmen also came up with big performances, most notably freshman guard Karsen Karlblom of Crystal Lake, Illinois (Prairie Ridge). Karlblom hit 7-of-9 from 3-point range for a career-high 23 points, more than double her previous career high of 11. The seven 3-pointers were one shy of the school record of eight, set by Mandy Traversa against Albion on Jan. 7, 2015.

Baguley added 13 points, as did sophomore guard Olivia Bellows of Lake City, Michigan (Lake City), who also had three steals. Meg Morehouse dished out five assists, as did sophomore guard Jada Garner of Midland, Michigan (Midland Dow). Freshman guard Keegan Kaiser of New Albany, Indiana (Floyd Central) handed out four assists and added three steals.

Hope receives a first-round bye in the MIAA tournament. The Flying Dutch will play the winner of the Wednesday first-round game between Albion and Alma on Friday night at DeVos Fieldhouse. Tip-off is 7:30 p.m.