The nationally-ranked Hope College women's basketball team is heading into a rare extended weekend off on a winning note.
And, on the verge of clinching another MIAA regular-season championship.
The Flying Dutch downed visiting Saint Mary's College, 79-51, on Wednesday at DeVos Fieldhouse and moved within one win of clinching at least a share of the league title.
Hope (20-1, 12-0 MIAA) now leads second-place Calvin University by three games and third-place Trine University by 3 ½ games.
The Flying Dutch, who have a bye on Saturday, Feb. 3, have four regular-season games remaining. Hope's next game is Saturday, Feb. 7, at 7 p.m. at Kalamazoo College.
"A very well-timed break," head coach Brian Morehouse said. "We're going to practice tomorrow, then take three days off. We're going to try to heal up our bodies and get ourselves in a position where we can be healthy for the stretch run. Right now, I think our legs and our brains could use a couple of days off. It's perfect timing for this team."
Wednesday's game marked the 800th of Morehouse's career and his 705th victory against just 95 losses.
Morehouse has guided the Flying Dutch to 25 20-win seasons. This is his 28th season at the helm.
Hope (No. 4 WBCA/No. 7 D3hoops) extended its winning streak on the season to 16 games and its winning streak against Saint Mary's to 32 games.
All 16 Flying Dutch players saw the court against the Belles (5-15, 2-9 MIAA).
Junior guard Olivia Bellows (Lake City, Michigan / Lake City HS) led a balanced scoring effort with a game-high 16 points off the bench.
Sophomore forward Sydney Vis (Byron Center, Michigan / South Christian) chipped in 12 points and a game-high seven rebounds, including 10 points during the first two quarters as Hope raced to a 41-21 halftime lead.
Sophomore forward Karsen Karlblom (Crystal Lake, Illinois / Prairie Ridge) chipped in nine points.
The Flying Dutch received eight points apiece from junior guard Jada Garner (Midland, Michigan / H.H. Dow) and freshman guard Terin Maynard (Grand Rapids, Michigan / Jenison).
Hope never trailed. The Flying Dutch took the lead for good at 12-6 with 2 minutes, 53 seconds remaining in the first quarter by scoring six consecutive points on a layup from Bellows and two more layups from Maynard.
Saint Mary's guard Annie Restovich topped the Belles with 15 points, all on 3-pointers. Her sister, Kate Restovich, added 10 points.
"We were trying to get 19,20 offensive rebounds, play with some pace, and force a lot of turnovers. I thought we clicked off all of those boxes," Morehouse said. "It was great everybody played today and everybody contributed."